Staying or Leaving
by Cianide
Summary: Monkey D Luffy has lived with the Whitebeard Pirates for almost her entire life. Even though she enjoys her life with them, she can't let go of her dream to become the Pirate Queen. Will she stay for her family or leave for adventure? FEM!Luffy/Different DF/New Crew HAITUS
1. Confusion

Staying or Leaving

A/N: This is my first fanfic ever and it's on One Piece. Its uses the Fem!Luffy from Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up With Whitebeard. Luffy has a different DF in this one though. Hers is still a Mythical Zoan type; it's the Doragon Doragon no Mi. The name sounds very stupid but too bad. As you can guess, it allows Luffy to turn into a dragon. It's fireproof and can breathe fire (Ha good luck burning Luffy up now Ace!). It also has power over electricity. Now for the disclaimer and the summary! (The summary is really lame. I know that. I don't know what I should write.)

Summary: Monkey D. "Straw Hat" Luffy, also widely known as "Dragon Bolt Luffy", has been part of the Whitebeard Pirates for almost her whole life. But, she just can't let go of her dream to be Pirate King, or Queen in this matter.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, Oda does. The Luffy in my story is based off Pokepika's Haunt's, so she isn't entirely mine. I do however own the Doragon Doragon no mi DF and any other OCs.

Chapter 1: Setting Off!

A young girl was leaning onto the railing of the great pirate ship, the Moby Dick. She had jet-black hair that went down to her shoulders and a scar under her eye. She wore a red cardigan on top of a T-shirt, cut just above her belly button. She had short dark blue pants and had a pair of sandals. Most distinctively, she had a straw hat on her head with red ribbon tied around it. She had a bounty of 350 million beri, and was wanted everywhere. And she is the daughter of the most wanted man in the world, Monkey D. Dragon. No wonder Luffy was wanted.

Luffy had always wanted to set out and start her own pirate crew. More to the point, to become the next Pirate King. She was already a pirate; a part of the legendary Whitebeard crew. It just wasn't enough for her, though. What she really wanted was a crew of her own, and not have to be part of some one else's. Sure it was great being with Marco, Ace, Sabo and the others, and being the Commander of the Second Division gave her more of a chance to feel like the captain, but she just couldn't forget her dream of being the Pirate King.

She sighed. This problem was always nagging her at the back of her head. She never told anyone, not even Ace or Sabo. She just felt guilty, thinking like that. They had given her a home and a family. She knew she had to tell them eventually; she couldn't keep it a secret forever.

"Hey Luffy, what's up?" asked her brother, Ace, "You seem to be deep in thought, Luffy. Something on your mind?"

Ace always knew what was on her mind, she just guessed that it came from living together for almost their entire lives. She just wished he hadn't picked now to ask about her. She had a short inner debate and decided to tell Ace the truth.

"There's something I want to discuss with you. I kept it to myself for a long time, but I think now's a good time to tell someone." Luffy said quietly.

This spooked Ace since Luffy almost never spoke so quietly. The last time Luffy has been so quiet was when she had apologized to Marco after wetting her pants when sleeping on top of him. Other than then Ace had never heard her this quiet.

"What is it Luffy? You can tell me, I'm all ears. If you want, I can get Marco and Thatch as well." Ace asked.

Luffy thought about this for a moment. She wasn't sure she wanted so many people to hear about her problem. She had only wanted to share with Ace and didn't want to have her problem be the latest gossip around since the more people that know, the higher the chance of her problem spreading. She knew she could trust Marco and Thatch, the men who had taken over the roles of her parents, though.

After another moment of thought, she said "Fine, but we will be talking privately in my cabin. And you will not tell anyone."

Ace just grinned, "What, don't trust me after all these years?"

"Not really, especially after all these years of lying to me so you can set up pranks."

A/N Anyways that's the first chapter! It was a little short, but I felt like that was a good place to stop. I hope it's not too bad. Anyways, see ya! And please review!


	2. New Danger!

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it really motivated me, and sorry about the wait; I'm a slow updater with all my homework (ugh, middle school). Anyways, on with the second chapter!**

**Summary: Everyone's wondering just what is it that Luffy was so serious and troubled by. As she tells them, Marines arrive!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Fem!Luffy I am using is based off Pokepika's Haunt's. If I did own One Piece, Ace and Sabo wouldn't have died and the Whitebeard Pirates would've had a bigger role.**

Chapter 2: New Danger!

After agreeing with Ace, Luffy and her brother went about looking for Marco, Sabo and Thatch. They were pretty easy to find since the two already knew their schedules like the back of their hands. Sabo would usually be trying to teach the pirates manners (don't ask me why), Thatch would be setting up a prank for Marco, and the Phoenix would be most likely in his cabin dealing with the expenses of the pirates. It wasn't long until they were all in Luffy's cabin, waiting for what she had to say.

"Before I tell you my problem, I want you guys to know that I loved being here with you guys, Pops and everyone else. You guys gave me a home and a family, things I never had before." said Luffy calmly, but everyone could see that she was really nervous.

There was a pause, but eventually she continued. "When Ace, Sabo, and I first came onto this ship, it was because we had found a family, a home that we never had. But before that we had one dream: to become the Pirate King. I've been living the time of my life here with you guys, but I just can't forget about my dream."

The others listened in silence, not knowing what to say. After what seemed like centuries, Marco spoke, "Well, are you planning on leaving?"

Luffy answered uncomfortably, "I don't know. I love having adventures with you guys, but I really want to set off on my own adventure," Luffy looked down, "I don't know what to do."

"If you really want-"Thatch started to say something, but at that moment one of our fellow pirates barged in, "Marco, Marines were sighted!"

At this everyone stopped, "How many are there?" asked Marco seriously.

"18 Marine ships were sighted. I think one or two of the admirals are on one of the ships. Most likely Akainu or Kizaru."

"Did you alert Pops? Is it possible to avoid battle?" questioned Marco.

The other pirate shook his head, "No, the Marines have us surrounded. We already alerted Pops, but the nurses won't let him out of his bed"

"Guess I'm in charge then," grimaced Marco, "Get everyone into their battle positions. Tell them to wait for further orders; I don't want any unnecessary injuries."

As Marco left, Luffy, Ace, Sabo, and Thatch came along, knowing that they will be the main fighting force. Everyone was in a state of seriousness, rushing to their positions. The sharpshooters took their place at the higher points of the Moby Dick, while the others manned the cannons or raced to get their weapons.

Once everyone was ready, Marco signalled to Luffy, Sabo, and Ace. Sabo disappeared as he teleported to the Marine ships. Marco and Luffy leaped of the side of the Moby Dick, fully transforming. Luffy, now a dragon, covered in dark gray scales with electricity crackling around her, spread her indigo coloured wings, taking flight alongside Marco. Ace jumped after them, landing on Luffy's back.

When the Marines saw the trio coming, they screamed, two octaves higher than a normal human can go. Marco the Phoenix, Fire-fist Ace, Vanishing Sabo and Dragon Bolt Luffy were all attacking them, at the same time! _Why, oh, why do we have to face those monsters? _thought the Marines in fear.

"Do not worry Marines, they are only pesky pirates!" came the call of Garp, Akainu and Kizaru alongside him. Behind the three men was a young girl, around 19 years in age. She was half-

"Crap! Why does _he_ have to be here?" moaned Ace, Luffy and Sabo at the same time, knowing full well that Garp would want some _bonding time _with them, which usually meant trying-to-arrest-them-and-killing-them-by-viciously-punching-them-while-trying-to-make-them-become-marines-instead.

Marco just ignored them; he had other things to worry about. The girl behind the Admirals was very mysterious. He could tell that this was her first time meeting pirates with such high bounties, since she had a look of astonishment on her face, but she also seemed like she was itching to fight one of them. What was even more mysterious about her was the fact that kept disappearing and reappearing in the same place, yet there weren't any visible traces of her moving in anyway.

He didn't have any time to find out more about the girl anymore, as he saw Kizaru coming at him. "Yasakani no Magatama," was the only warning Marco had before Kizaru launched his attack.

He leaped upwards; transforming his arms into wings, just in time to avoid the seastone handcuffs a marine tried to place on him. Kizaru tried to attack him with his Yasakani no Magatama again, but Marco just flew right at him, fully transformed, the Admiral's attacks doing nothing to his regenerative form. Marco delivered a Haki infused kick, sending the said Admiral crashing into the deck below. The Marines quickly cleared way, afraid of being squashed by their Admiral.

"Oh, you hurt me," said Kizaru, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "you really are annoying. Time for you to come out, our new little Admiral!"

To Marco's surprise, the one that came was none other than the young girl that was hiding behind the Admirals before. What shocked him the most was the fact that she had appeared out of nowhere; one moment the spot was empty, now standing there was the girl who hadn't seemed to have just arrived. In fact, it seemed like she had been there the whole time.

"You had enough time to observe how Mister Phoenix fights, hmm?" asked Kizaru, sounding like he was talking to a 5 year old.

"Yes, Admiral Kizaru," replied the young girl, clearly trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice, "By the way, the name's Han D. Suki, nice to meet you. Try to enjoy the fresh air while you can; you won't breathe it again until your execution since you'll be in Impel Down."

"Really, you think a girl like you can beat me?" Marco snickered, "Good luck trying."

He prepared to attack the girl, but she had disappeared into thin air. Marco scanned the area, but couldn't find the girl.

"You should always keep an eye on your opponent, you know." came a whisper from behind him, just before he was slashed deep in the back by a dagger.

"Tsk," said the Phoenix, "it'll take more than that to beat me, brat." But he noticed that his wound wasn't healing. _Crap! She managed to get seastone on me! How? _

He turned around to face the girl, but she wasn't there. He dropped down, just before the dagger came at him, as he had noticed a sword on the floor was knocked away. He kicked, attempting to hit the girl. She was gone already, though, and that kick just made the wound on his back hurt more.

"Just how are you disappearing and reappearing?" growled Marco, his patience running out.

"Oh, I ate a Devil Fruit," she said simply, before landing a hard kick into Marco's stomach, "the Henkō Henkō no mi, to be exact. I can change myself and whatever I touch into the same colour as the background, allowing me to become practically invisible. I can also change the substance of whatever I'm touching"

"You're a quick one to spill their secret," grunted Marco, angered that he was still unable to heal himself.

"Well, I don't expect you to leave this ship anytime soon," answered the girl, as she went for another attack. It was really a one-sided fight; the Division Commander couldn't even land a hit on her.

She saw a flash of surprise cross his face, but since it was gone so quickly, she thought she must've imagined it. He started grinning, and quickly sprinted away.

_What is wrong with him? I thought he had enough pride inside him to stop him from running away…_ thought Suki. Then she heard his reason, and she paled her face as white as snow.

Garp suddenly barged out of the wall behind her, chasing who seemed like Ace, Luffy and Sabo. Luffy tried to transform, but Garp would always manage to stop her with one of his famous "Fists of Love" before she could. It was the same with Sabo, and Ace tried to fry the Fleet-Admiral, but Garp would just wave it away. It would've have been a hilarious sight: three of the most wanted people on earth chased by a crazy old geezer known as Monkey D. Garp. Since Suki was right in front of them, though, it was far from funny. She was knocked down by the three pirates and punched into the sea by one of Garp's punches.

Marco was suddenly healing; the Henkō Henkō no mi's power was fading away as Suki was sinking in the sea. As he looked around, the other ships were destroyed. There were burnt marks, and signs of electricity in the water near them. He just sighed. Why did the three of them _always _have to be so overboard?

"Oi, D. Siblings, get over here, we're leaving," called Marco, and when no one answered, "LAST ONE HERE GETS NO MEAT TONIGHT!"

This quickly got their attention, and they put on another burst of speed, dashing towards Marco. Sabo teleported back to the Moby Dick and the rest quickly followed suit; Marco and Luffy fully transformed with Ace ridding on Luffy's back.

"Fire away Ace and Luffy," grinned Marco, pointing at the remaining Marine ship. _Have fun swimming, my dear Admirals, _thought Marco devilishly.

Remembering the young female Admiral, Marco spoke to the two other Devil Fruit users with him, "Oi, you guys heard of the new Admiral?"

"No…wait, WHAT? ANOTHER ADMIRAL? ISN'T THREE ENOUGH?" exclaimed Ace, burning up with anger (literally) and Luffy crackling dangerously with electricity.

"Well, apparently no, three isn't enough. Anyways, her name's Han D. Suki and she ate the Henkō Henkō no mi, which allows her to change her and things she's touching into the same colour as her surroundings, making her near invisible. She can also change the substance of whatever she's holding, even into seastone."

"She's going to be an annoying one to beat, and dangerous since she'll be able to sneak up on us, with her Devil Fruit and all." said Luffy.

"Yeah, better report it to Pops. By the way, what were you going to say before the Marines attacked?" questioned Marco.

"Never mind that, we're gonna have to focus on defeating the new Admiral before she causes trouble."

The said Admiral sneezed. She was lucky to be alive, since she had fallen so deep into the sea. Luckily, a Marine escape boat had been nearby. Beside her were the two other Admirals, also saved by the Marine escape boat.

Man, did she hate those Whitebeard Pirates, especially Marco the Phoenix. If it hadn't been for him and the other three she wouldn't have gotten a warning. And if she hadn't gotten a warning, her village wouldn't have had to suffer...

**A/N: Cliffhangers; don't you love them? Anyways, that was a long chapter! (By my standards at least) My chapters will be about 700 words to 2000 words each, and posted on a two week basis; 3 weeks at the latest. If I know ahead of time I will tell you in the previous chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	3. A Painful Past

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Welcome back for more Staying or Leaving! Thanks to everyone who read this or reviewed it! **

**Summary: In the last chapter Han D. Suki had said that her village was suffering, but from what? Or who?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This story is my version of a continuation of Growing Up with Whitebeard by Pokepika's Haunt. I do own any OCs (like Han D. Suki), Devil Fruits created by me and any islands created for this story.**

Chapter 3: A Painful Past

Han D. Suki, Marine Admiral alongside Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji, was locked in her personal cabin, treated almost like a prisoner. She had never wanted to be a Marine, it was all for her village and island, which was now suffering from her mistakes. She was filled with guilt and despair. Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she remembered her painful past…

**7 Years ago; Yuiitsu Village, Kizuna Island, Islands of Taba**

"Hey Suki, I'm having birthday party tomorrow, want to come?"

"Sure, Kokora!" replied the 12 year old Suki, excited for the coming party.

Kokora, also 12 years old, was Suki's best friend. They grew up together, and were almost always with each other. They treated each other like sisters; as did everyone else on the island. Since there was only one village on the entire island, almost everyone lived there, with the exceptions of the few hunters, who still visited almost every day; and they treated everyone like their own family.

"Suki! Time to go home!" called Suki's mother, Han D. Suru, "Dinner's ready!"

With this, Suki raced home with Kokora chasing after her, "Hey, wait up!"

"Never, slowpoke!"

By the time the two girls were at Suki's home, they were panting and laughing their heads off. They loved life here on Kizuna Island. Everything was peaceful, and happiness filled the air.

"Oh Kokora, you can stay for dinner if you want," said Suru, "We made your favourite dishes."

"Thank you, Auntie Suru!"

They rushed to the kitchen, and helped set up the table, eager to eat. Suki's 5 years old little brother, Rin, was jumping around waiting to eat. Her dad, was already sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.

"Hey dad, can I go to Kokora's birthday party tomorrow?" asked Suki.

"Of course, just remember to come home before 8 o'clock."

"Thanks dad!"

They ate dinner happily, laughing at Rin's little jokes and eating till they could eat no more. Suki was smiling all the way through dinner. But little did she know that this may well be her last time with her family for a long time.

**The next day, on the way to Kokora's party**

Suki was skipping along to Kokora's birthday party, wearing her special purple dress. The dress came down to her knees and had crystals on it, forming the image of a butterfly. She wore matching purple flats and had beautiful necklace. The necklace was given to her by her parents, and was a family heirloom.

When she had almost reached Kokora's house, she heard a gunshot coming from Kokora's house. Panicking, she raced to her friend's house, only to see that Marines were there. She didn't know who they were, since she didn't know how Marines looked like or what they did, as they never had much connection with the outside world.

The Marines grinned as they saw her, "Come over here, little girl. We have a deal we want to make with you. If you don't I'll put a hole into this girl's head." The Marine speaking was ppointing a gun towards Kokora's head, who was terrified of what would happen.

Suki, gingerly walked over to them, not knowing what else to do. _What was this deal that they were planning to make with her?_ She wondered, _and more importantly, why me?_

"Is this the one, the one who had eaten the Henkō Henkō no mi?" asked a man standing behind the Marines. The man wore a red suit underneath his Marine coat, the sleeves blowing in the wind. He had a cap with the Marine symbol on it.

"Yes, Admiral Akainu! She matches the description completely!"

"Well, Han D. Suki, would you like to be a Marine?" the said Admiral asked.

"Umm, what are Marines?" questioned Suki, clueless of what was happening.

The Admiral chuckled, "We're Marines, and we protect people from pirates."

"But then why are you pointing a gun at my friend? I thought you were supposed to protect us?"

"We will protect your island, as long as you join us."

"And if I don't?" ventured Suki.

"Then this is what happens," said the Admiral, gesturing to the Marine with the gun.

The Marine nodded, and shot Kokora in the shoulder. Kokora screamed in pain, and her family rushed towards her. Now, Suki was in despair; she didn't want to fight, but if it meant that her island will be safe…

"If you don't join us, we will call a buster call, and destroy this island."

"What? But we never did anything wrong!" exclaimed Suki.

"Yes, you did do something wrong. Your village didn't report that there was a Devil Fruit user here. And that would be you."

Suki was cornered, and she knew it. If she didn't join them, everyone would die. But if she did join them, she would have to fight and eventually kill people. Putting here village before her own desires, she whispered, "I'll join you."

"Good," Akainu said, grinning, "put her in seastone handcuffs."

The Marines that as they were told, and Suki immediately felt weak. She nearly fainted, and as she was walking towards the Marines' ship, her eyes started to water. When she looked back, she saw people crying, and she herself wept.

**Back to the present**

Suki, was still immersed in her memories, knowing that because of her mistakes, her village would have lost something precious. She didn't stop until, someone knocked on her door, "Admiral Suki, Admiral Akainu and Admiral Kizaru wants to see you in the meeting room!"

"I'll be there shortly," replied Suki, wiping her tears away as she heard the door being unlocked.

She headed towards the meeting room, turning herself near invisible, her eyes still puffy and red from crying. All she knew was that she couldn't let any more to happen to her village.

**A/N: There's the third chapter! I know I said that I would update every week or two, but since it was a long weekend, I decided to upload this earlier! Hope you enjoyed. Please read and review!**


	4. Chance Meeting

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, added this story to their favourites and are following this story! Thanks to everyone, it really kept me going! **

**In chapter 2 I made a mistake and typed "(Name)" and "(His/her)". I had meant for these to be changed to "The pirate" and "his", but I was rushing and forgot to proof read. Sorry for these mistakes. I will probably replace that chapter with an edited version.**

**With that done, time for the summary and disclaimer!**

**Summary: The Whitebeard Pirates find out about the new Admiral, Han D. Suki, whose ability to fight is matched (if not higher) than the other Admirals. As they dock at an island to pick up supplies, another battle is about to start!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, Oda does. Han D. Suki, the Henkō Henkō no mi. My story is based off Pokepika's Haunt's _One Piece: Growing Up with Whitebeard_, so it's not entirely mine. To find out how Luffy, Ace, and Sabo ended up with Whitebeard and co, read that story first!**

Chapter 4: Chance Meeting

"So, Ace, you don't get any meat tonight." said Marco, barely holding back a grin, "you were last."

"Why?" pouted Ace, which was funny, considering he was 21, "It's not fair that you guys can fly and Sabo can teleport! I have to wait until you guys even land before I can get off!"

"Keep moaning and you'll never ride on me again," grumbled Luffy, annoyed to the core with Ace's pouting, "I'll just leave you behind and never come back for you. That way you'll never eat Thatch's awesome food again and I'll be rid of your pouting."

Ace stopped pouting, but Sabo heard him cuss under his breath. Time to give him another lesson on manners…

"Ace, it's very impolite to swear at someone, especially behind their backs. I thought I taught you this last time we had a lesson on manners," said Sabo in a very teacher-like voice, "did you forget already? And will you please put on a shirt?"

Ace just snorted, "Who cares about manners? Who cares if I'm wearing a shirt or not? We're freaking _pirates_ for God's sake! And are you trying to stop me from swearing, 'cause that's not possible; swearing is my second language."

"Well, that's about to change! I'll beat those manners into you if that's the last thing I do."

"Really, you think that _you _can beat me?" laughed Ace, "Good luck. If you beat me, I just _might_ listen to you."

"Oh, you are so dead. It's a deal then. If I win, you learn your manners, but if you win, I'll stop talking."

"Deal."

As the two prepared to fight, they were electrocuted by an _extremely _annoyed Luffy, who was trying to get some sleep with Marco being her pillow. The two dropped to the ground, and cowered in fear as Luffy gave them a death glare.

"CAN'T A GIRL HAVE SOME PEACE AND QUIET AROUND HERE?" shouted Luffy, looking deadlier than all the Admirals and pirates combined, "IF YOU TWO DON'T SHUT UP I SWEAR I'LL BEAT THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF YOU!"

The two brothers were terrified, but their pride stopped them from being silent, "Never! We will fight right here, right now!"

Luffy just growled in reply, as she started transforming, electricity crackling at dangerous levels. The other crew members ran away in fear of being caught in Luffy's rampage. No one wants to meet a rampaging Luffy. Last time, she nearly destoryed an island all by herself.

Now the two brothers were scared out of their minds. Luffy looked like someone was about to destroy her straw hat, and the last time that happened, the culprits were in the hospital for an entire 2 years.

"Run now, fight later. Agreed?" whispered Sabo in terror.

"Agreed. Our lives are at stake here." came the reply of Ace, equally scared.

Luffy prepared to strike at them, but Marco flew in to stop the upcoming battle.

"Oi, Luffy, you don't want to destroy this ship, do you?" Marco said diplomatically, "Anyways, we need to report to Pops about the new Admiral."

"Fine! I'll deal with you two later; we need to see Pops." growled Luffy, transforming back into her human form, still angry at her two brothers.

As she stalked away to Pop's cabin, Sabo whispered to Marco, "Thanks, I thought we'd die in the hands of Luffy."

Marco just chuckled, "Don't expect me to save you two all the time."

They three followed Luffy down to Whitebeard's cabin, to see that Whitebeard was secretly drinking sake, _again._

"Pops, you should stop secretly drinking sake. The nurses will strap you down again." Marco advised.

"Gurararara, what do you expect? A pirate must have their sake!" came the reply.

The four other pirates just sighed. Pops would never listen.

"How did the fight go?" asked Whitebeard, still drinking sake.

"It was pretty smooth, but we found out something important," answered Luffy, who finally calmed down, "there's a new Admiral."

This got surprised shocks from the other Commanders who had joined them. Whitebeard, however, only raised an eyebrow.

"Is he a good fighter?" questioned Whitebeard.

"Yes, _she _is. She had eaten the Henkō Henkō no mi, which allows her and anything she touches to become near invisible. She can also change the substance of whatever she's touching or holding, even into seastone." Marco answered, being the only one who fought her, "Amazingly, she seemed to be around 19 years old and even managed to hurt me."

"Well, she must be a pretty good fighter then, if she managed to hurt you," chuckled Whitebeard, "I wonder if she'll abandon her position and join us."

"Pops, why do you always try to recruit everyone?" asked Vista.

"Dunno, I guess it's a habit of mine. And Marco, we'll be docking soon; you and Luffy will go and get supplies." said Whitebeard.

The two division commanders nodded, and they left swiftly, preparing to dock. Ace, Sabo and the rest of the people followed them and left, since the nurses were complaining that Whitebeard needed more rest.

**At the Docks**

"C'mon, we got lots to pick up," Marco said, holding a list, "and I hear that Marines are here, too. We don't want them to find us here; we'll be at a great disadvantage since there's a Marine HQ here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming," Luffy responded, jumping off the Moby Dick and landing beside Marco, "so what's on the list?"

"30 barrels of liquor, 46 tons of meat, 18 sacks of vegetables, 4 crates of gunpowder, some wood, and other stuff."

"Well, I have one thing to say about this list," stated Luffy, "46 tons of meat won't be enough; we'll need at least 55 tons."

"That's what you think, I'm going to try a Less Food Eating Project for you three, since you people eat at least half our food."

"No fair! You are so mean!" wailed Luffy.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go get supplies now and you better come with me," shrugged Marco, "and no pouting."

"Fine, be a meanie."

**Several hours later**

Marco and Luffy were struggling to drag their loads back to the Moby Dick. It wasn't an easy task, even for them. It had taken them hours to find people willing to trade with the two pirates, and hours more to find merchants with the amount they needed. They didn't notice the Marine who had been tailing them. Or that the Marine was alerting everyone about them.

**On the Marine ship, the meeting room**

"Admirals, you requested for me." said Suki.

"We have just received a message through the den den mushi; the Whitebeard Pirates have been spotted, and we want you to come with us to launch an attack." said Akainu.

"Yes, sir."

"Good, we leave immediately."

**With Marco and Luffy**

"For my love of meat, how long does it take to drag this stuff back?" complained Luffy.

"Live with it; half this stuff goes down you D. siblings' stomach." grunted Marco in reply.

"Stop it right there!" yelled a Marine from behind them, "We have you surrounded, Whitebeard Pirates' First Division Commander and Second Division Commander, Marco the Phoenix and Dragon Bolt Luffy!"

"Yeah, like you're going to stop us." smirked Luffy, as she released bolts of lightning at the Marines, scaring and electrocuting them.

"You're right, they won't stop you two; we will."

The two looked to where the voice was coming from, and they grinned as they saw the speakers.

"Ah, nice to see you three again, Admirals."

**A/N: Hey, Dreamwritergoddess here. I just wanted to let you know that this fanfic might be a little long since I basically write it as I go.**


	5. Destroyed

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Hey everyone, Dreamwritergoddess back with more Staying or Leaving! Thanks for the reviews! And I give up on the 1 week time period between updates. I probably will update more frequently, and still no later than 3 weeks. Thanks!**

**Summary: The Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates meet again. This can only mean one thing, battle! But with the Admirals and Whitebeard Pirates fighting, its not going to be pretty.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This story is my version of a continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard. I do own any OCs (like Han D. Suki or Kokora), any DF created (Doragon Doragon no mi, Henk****ō**** Henk****ō**** no mi) and any other islands created for this fanfic.**

Chapter 5: Destroyed

Marco took out his den den mushi, "Oi, Pops, Kizaru, Akainu, and the new Admiral, Suki, discovered us. Could you send in some people, some that can fight against either a bunch of Marines or an Admiral."

"Gurararara, they found us already," Whitebeard chuckled through the den den mushi, "Marco, be more careful next time. I'll send Ace and Sabo, alright? They're itching to fight."

"Thanks Pops." Marco replied, hanging up the den den mushi, the to Luffy, "Oi, will you get that Suki; she's too annoying for me."

"Ha! More like you're too scared! Whatever, I wanted to fight her anyways."

"Are you done with your little chit-chat?" asked Suki impatiently. She wanted to get her revenge on the Whitebeard Pirates, who had caused her village to suffer more. She disappeared into thin air, and Luffy had barely anytime to dodge her attack. Unfortunately for Suki, Luffy had trained her usage of Haki expertly, and was now on the same level of expertise as Marco, or even Whitebeard himself.

"Oh, being sneaky, are we?" smirked Luffy, jumping as Suki aimed to kick her legs, "Well, you'll have to do better than that."

Luffy lashed out her leg, kicking Suki in the back. A shocked gasp came out from the young Admiral, "How did you find me?"

"It's pretty easy. I'm pretty much an expert at using Haki," shrugged Luffy, "and I have far better senses than a regular human, being a dragon and all. I can even see in the dark."

"Guess I'll have to fight all out then."

"Yep, you sure do."

Suki vanished again, and tried to attack Luffy several times with her dagger. Luffy, however, didn't even break a sweat and dodged all her moves, simply by using Haki. Suki, angered by the fact that the pirate kept dodging all her attacks, tried a different tactic. She tried to sneak up on Luffy and managed to knock the straw hat off her accidentally when trying to turn it into seastone.

"What did you do to boshi, bastard," whispered Luffy, clearly trying to control her anger.

"Your boshi?" asked Suki, confused, "You mean this stinking straw hat?"

Luffy let out a blast of Haki, knocking Suki off her feet, angered that Suki had insulted her straw hat. The Admiral dropped her dagger in surprise as she was knocked down, and the dagger fell and stabbed the straw hat…

All Hell broke loose after that.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT BOSHI!" screamed Luffy, enraged by the fact that Suki had damaged her straw hat, even though she had caused it. But at that point, she had already lost it.

"YOU ARE DEAD!"

With this, Luffy started to transform into a dragon. As long as a ship, with a wingspan as long as a her body, sharpened claws, scales glistening with electricity, and her tail thrashing around, Luffy was scary enough to frighten even Marco, especially when she was angry. Not to mention the fangs and fire she blew at Suki. Marco started to feel sorry for the new Admiral. She clearly didn't know what happened to those who harmed Luffy's straw hat. And now she was about to learn it the hard way…

"Hmm, I'm bored." sighed Kizaru, as he suddenly launched a kick at Marco, who was knocked back into a wall.

"Well, you want me to entertain you?" Marco asked, already healing from the kick.

"Yes. I guess I'll pass some time by arresting you." said the Admiral.

"Ah, well, I really don't want to fight you; you're too boring. I'm gonna fight Akainu instead."

With this he flew towards Akainu, the only Admiral not fighting. Marco attempted to kick Akainu, but he easily dodged it. The Admiral tried to punch Marco, at that moment, though, Kizaru kicked the Phoenix before he could hit him.

"Oh, you aren't going to run away from me now, are you?" Kizaru asked, annoyed.

"No, I'm going to fight you both."

"Marco, don't hog all the glory; we want to fight too," someone said, as a column of fire erupted into a wall in between Marco and the Admirals, "We need to keep our reputation of devastating fighters as well."

"A little late, aren't you, Ace, Sabo." Marco grinned.

"Can't help it; we got a person who will fall asleep at anytime, no matter the situation." sighed Sabo.

"Not my fault that I'm narcoleptic." grumbled Ace in defense, "Now are we gonna fight or not. I see that Luffy is already."

With this, the three men watched as Luffy whipped her tail around, sending Suki into nearby buildings, breaking them into rubble. Everywhere around her, Marines tried to attack. The keyword there is _tried._ The Marines were knocked all over the place, and with the dragon sending bolts of lightning towards anyone coming near here, she was basically wreaking havoc, like the devil reborn.

"Uhhh, shouldn't we stop her before she destroys the island?" asked Sabo, actually feeling scared of Luffy.

"Umm, yeah, I think we should," said Marco, unable to take his eyes off the dragon.

"Hmph, you think that we Admirals will just let you go?" grumbled Akainu, as he punched through the wall of fire, Kizaru walking casually behind him, tough visible annoyance was seen.

"But, of course, we have to beat these two Admirals before we can do anything," sighed Marco.

Ace and Sabo just nodded, eager to fight the Admirals. And in a heartbeat, Ace threw a flamed punch at Kizaru, only for it to go right through. The Admiral tried to kick Ace but, being a logia user it went through him as well. However since Ace is made of fire the Admiral was burned badly.

"Tsk, you annoying little match."

"Thank you, I take that as compliment."

The two started to fight, equally matched. Fireballs and light beams were being thrown around the place, destroying whatever were in their way. Sabo had disappeared, and Akainu coukd be heard grumbling about pesky little pirates.

Marco felt a gun shoot him in the back, but of course, it healed right away. "Looks like some Marines want to play."

A few minutes later all the Marines were lying on the ground, moaning in pain. Marco just got up, dusting his hands. He could see that fire was everywhere; they'd have to extinguish it before they left otherwise the entire island might be set aflame accidentally. Even though they were the ruthless Whitebeard Pirates, they wouldn't harm anyone without reason.

He turned to look at Luffy, but something was wrong. He could hear crying, Luffy crying. Worried, Marco immediately flew over to the dragon. Except that when Marco got closer, he could see that she had turned back into human form. He landed beside the girl, trying to calm her down. She just kept crying. Marco could tell that Suki was watching them, preparing to attack, but for some reason she seemed hesitant, like she felt sorry or something. That was when Marco noticed something.

Luffy's straw hat wasn't with her. He turned around. He saw the hat in Suki's hands. It was ripped in two. And it was turning into seastone.


	6. Sorry

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone whose been following/favourited this story! You guy really motivated me! Thanks!**

**Summary: Luffy's straw hat is being turned into seastone and has been ripped in two. With Luffy crying, what will Marco do? And what was Suki thinking?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This story is based off Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard. I do own any OCs and Devil Fruits created.**

Chapter 6: Sorry

Marco was shocked, and anger welled up inside of him. He knew how important thar straw hat was to Luffy; it was her treasure, something she'd risk her life for. And now it was getting destroyed right in front of her.

Marco walked right up to Suki, who cowered under his glare. If glares could kill, she would have died ten times over already. She was scared; all she wanted to do was beat the Second Division Commander, not reduce her to this state. The dragon from before, now back to being a young girl, was sobbing, as if her world had ended. She felt guilty, even though she it was a Marine and it was her job to arrest pirates. Heck, she wasn't even a true Marine since she had been forced to fight.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to death now." the Phoenix snarled, slowly transforming into his phoenix form.

Suki yelped, as the Phoenix flew at he and sent a kick into her chest, and by the crushing sound and the instant pain, she knew some ribs had broken from the impact. She groaned as she landed; the injuries she had gotten from Luffy included many broken bones, bruises, burn marks, long slashes all over her, and electrocution. She stood up unsteadily, wincing at the pain. She couldn't let the pirates leave, which will make her village suffer more, at least without a fight. She tried to turn invisible, but before she could do anything, the Phoenix grabbed her and knocked her unconscious.

Sabo and Ace arrived a little later, with some injuries and seeming a little tired, but nothing serious. When they saw Suki unconscious, they seemed pretty happy.

"Hey, Marco, Luffy, you guys beat up that new Admiral, right? We each beat up one, too. It wasn't too hard; I mean sur-"said Ace, until he saw Luffy crying and their smiles turned into frowns, "Oh my God, what happened?"

Marco didn't say anything and just gestured over to where the straw hat lay. The two brothers gasped, and tried to pick it up, but the moment they did, they felt weak.

"No way, don't tell me she turned it into seastone…" whispered Sabo.

"Can we kill that Admiral, Marco? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

**A week later on the Moby Dick's infirmary**

When Suki woke up, she noticed that there was a slight swaying and she felt soft bandages all over her. She opened her eyes to see that she was in a medical room of some sort. She tried to get up, but the intense pain stopped her. She saw a nurse come over, and the nurse smiled, "I see that you're up already; we thought that you'd be up for at least two weeks. So, how are you feeling, our little Admiral?"

"Where am I?" croaked Suki.

"You're in the infirmary of the Moby Dick, the mother ship of the Whitebeard Pirates," answered the nurse, who chuckled when Suki slapped herself in the head, "you shouldn't do that since you're already injured. You were out for a whole week."

"I've been out for a whole week?"

"Yeah, you were. And you're not leaving anytime soon," growled a voice angrily, and Suki looked up to see the First Division Commander, "at least not until Pops decides what to do with you."

The Admiral gulped in discomfort, as she had heard about how much Whitebeard cared for his crew. She saw Marco grin slightly at her discomfort, but it quickly disappeared and a scowl appeared in its place.

"I won't forgive you for what you did to Luffy's straw hat. Not until she does."

With this, he walked away, leaving Suki to the nurse. The nurse wasn't surprised at all with what just happened, since Luffy was like a daughter to the Commander. She just hoped that he wouldn't be this cold towards her, her being a patient and all. She saw that the young girl looked guilty, almost ashamed of what she did. The nurse just sighed and left her alone. She knew that leaving the girl to herself would be better for the patient.

**Luffy's cabin**

Luffy had locked herself inside her own room for days, basically as soon as she got out of the infirmary. She knew her brothers and sisters were worried about her, but she couldn't bear to go out. She felt ashamed of herself, since she couldn't keep her promise to Shanks. And being a person who cares a lot about the promises they make, this was worse than what the tea parties she arranged did to her visitors.

She started crying again. She had been crying almost the whole time she was in there, only stopping every now and then, as she tried to calm down. She heard someone knock on her door. She stumbled to the door and opened it to see Ace and Sabo standing outside.

"Luffy, you ok?" asked Sabo, worry in his voice.

"Yeah, don't be too upset. Maybe we could get you another straw hat." suggested Ace.

"Th-thanks, b-but I th-think I just w-want to be alone." sniffled Luffy.

"Sorry to bother, but Pops wants to see you, Luffy." Thatch said walking up to Luffy.

Luffy just nodded, and headed towards Whitebeard's cabin, her eyes were still red and puffy. She knew that as a Division Commander she shouldn't cry this easily, in fact she really shouldn't cry at all. It was too much for her, though. She walked silently and her brothers and sisters all gave her looks of sympathy.

When she reached Whitebeard's cabin, she saw that the other Division Commanders were there as well. She tried to put on a brave look and wiped her tears away. The other Commanders seemed like they wanted to say something, but Whitebeard silenced them all with a hand, he himself looking worried.

"Luffy, I know what that Marine brat did to your straw hat; we all do. We just want you to know that if you every need any help, we'll be here to give it to you." said Whitebeard, and everyone else in the room nodded their heads in agreement, "Is there anything that we can do?"

"Not really, except for one thing." Whitebeard motioned for Luffy to continue, "I want to speak to the Admiral."

Everyone seemed surprised, even Whitebeard. They were all wondering why Luffy would want to see her, I mean; she turned her treasure into seastone.

Eventually, Whitebeard allowed her to go and see the Admiral. Luffy left quickly, heading towards the infirmary. She seemed calm and collected, as if she was thinking of something important. When she reached the infirmary, she walked right in, not saying anything, right up to where the said Admiral was resting. She glared at the girl resting in front of her, her eyes filled with both anger and misunderstanding.

"Why did you do it?" questioned the Commander, "Why did you destroy my straw hat?"

"I-it," stammered Suki, "I didn't w-want t-to. I j-just w-wanted t-to keep m-my vil-village safe."

"From what? I thought you were a Marine, an Admiral."

"I was f-forced t-to."

"Explain everything to me, now" the dragon commanded.

The Admiral did as she was told, and saw the anger in Luffy's eyes slowly fade away. What replaced it was a form of respect, like she understood and respected her.

"So, is that why? Marines are threatening you to work for them?"

"Yeah. I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to destroy your straw hat. I only wanted you to be arrested or something." apologized Suki.

"Well, you're not off the hook yet. You will fix my straw hat; that's for sure. After you fix it, I will need to speak to you privately."

Suki was confused. She understood why she had to fix her straw hat, but why would she want to talk to her privately? Another thought popped into her mind. Since she had failed, won't the Marines attack her village?

As Luffy was about to leave, Suki called to her, "Luffy! I have a request! Could you please go to my island? The Marines might attack them because I failed! I'll do anything!"

Luffy's face reddened a bit as she thought of what the Marines were doing to Suki. She was mad at them for taking innocent people hostage. Oh, she'll make them pay for sure. Those Marines are worse than pirates.

"Of course, we will. We won't let innocent people get hurt by Marines for doing nothing wrong. Even we pirates have a sense of right and wrong."

Luffy went over to Marco and explained to him what had happened. Marco was pretty surprised, but wasn't shocked when he heard that Luffy wanted to head over to the girl's island, Kizuna Island of the Taba Country. The two asked Whitebeard for permission and after what he heard about the girl's past, he ordered the navigators to head over to the island. He even suggested that they ask the island to join the countless other islands under the Whitebeard Pirates' protection.

When Suki heard this, she was overjoyed. Her island would finally be free from the Marines and so would Suki. She would be able to do as she wanted again. She would be freed.

That night, just before they reached Kizuna, the pirates partied, for no apparent reason. Every joined in, even Suki. It was so much fun; it made Suki consider being a pirate. Not all pirates were evil as they say. Some were like the Whitebeard Pirates, who were free, fun, and adventure loving. If only she could join them.

Then someone saw fire from Kizuna and heard cannons being shot.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone still reading this story! The story seemed a little rushed at the end, and I'm sorry. It was mainly because I have been staring at the computer (and this chapter) for more than 2 hours. Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	7. Free

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Dreamwritergoddess back with more Staying or Leaving! Thanks to everyone who has read this story or supported me! It really helps me! Thanks readers!**

**Summary: Kizuna island is being attacked and the Whitebeard Pirates arrive in time to meet the Marines yet again. How will the people react when they see Suki with pirates? What will the Marines do?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own one piece. This story is based off of pokepika's haunt's growing up with whitebeard. I own any OCs, devil fruits, and islands created for this fanfiction.**

Chapter 7: Free

"Commanders! The Marines are already attacking!"

The Divsion Commanders present, which would be Marco, Luffy, Jozu, and Thatch, all stopped what they were doing. All laughter stopped and Suki raced up to the deck to see what was happening. She let out a strangled yelp when she saw what was happening. Flames flickered on the island, and gunshots were heard. She could even see Marines going through the homes and taking valuables. The Commaders came up with Suki and when they saw what was happening, they started to issue orders.

"Division 3, stay on board the ship! We have to protect the Moby Dick in case of danger!"

"Division 2 and 4, attack the Marines!"

"Division 1, look for a way to stop the fire and if you see anyone, tell them to get away!"

Everyone was hustling around now, preparing to dock. Even though they were pirates, they hated people who harmed those without reason. Suki herself was racing towards Luffy and Thatch, the Second and Fourth Division Commanders. She was about to say something, but Luffy took the words right out of her mouth.

"You're coming with us, right? Well, you better get ready; we're getting off as soon as we hit land." grinned Luffy, "unless you want to stay behind, of course."

"I'm coming with you guys alright. I've got some things to, let's say," said Suki, "pay back."

Everyone was hustling and bustling around now, preparing to dock. A few moments later, the Moby Dick docked and the three Divisions, who were leaving, set off to do their jobs. Luffy and Thatch decided to force the Marines with the Fourth Division towards a cliff on the island. There, the Second Division will be waiting to attack them as they approach. Luffy gestured to Suki for her to follow her.

They headed towards the cliff, Suki being the guide. She led them swiftly through the remains of the town, and through a forest. Eventually, they reached the cliff. Suki motioned the Second Division to hide near some giant rocks. Sounds of gunshots and fighting neared them, and moments later the Marines were there, trying to fight off the Fourth Division with no prevail. She saw Thatch storm through the Marines, defeating anyone in his way. She started to worry a bit, but it wasn't because of what she saw. It was because of something, or rather some people, which she didn't see.

"Where the heck are the Admirals?" muttered Luffy, noticing the missing Marines.

Her question was answered as Kizaru came out from behind the Fourth Division, along with Akainu, Garp and more Marines, "Oh, you thought it would be this easy to beat us, hmm Thatch?" asked Kizaru, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Not really, but did you think it would be that easy for you to beat us?"

"Second Division, ATTACK!" cried Luffy, and she was answered with the battle cries of her brothers and sisters. They charged at the Marines, who scattered at the sight of them. Suki and Luffy charged as well, but headed away towards the Admirals and Garp instead. Suki turned invisible and attacked Garp, who was taken by surprise, while Luffy went for Akainu.

"Hahahah! So you became a pirate, did you now?" chuckled Garp, throwing a fist at Suki, who managed to dodge it narrowly.

"For the time being at least, who knows about the future?" smirked Suki as she tried to slash at Garp.

The battle waged on and she caught a glimpse of Luffy transforming into a dragon. Suki smiled a bit at this. It was great to have Luffy on her side, not that great when she was your enemy, though. But while she wasn't focusing, Garp managed to punch her, sending her flying towards the edge of the cliff. Luckily for her, she managed to hang on to the edge. She gripped it tightly, afraid to fall into the sea. She knew she would most likely die if she fell.

Luffy saw this happen and tried to fly towards the former Admiral, but Akainu stopped her, "Are you trying to get away?" asked Akainu, "You can give up on that. I fight in the name of Absolute Justice and I won't let you get away!"

"Blah, blah, blah, I don't care, you bastard. Now will you let me get to my friend?" asked Luffy impatiently, "and what do you mean by Absolute Justice? You people forced Suki to become a Marine and held her island hostage!"

Akainu ignored her and punched at her. Luffy easily dodged it and sent a bolt of electricity at him. The two started fighting again, evenly matched. Luffy was trying to get to Suki, as she saw Garp nearing her friend. She leaped over him and took to the air, soaring towards Suki. Garp was about to punch her, but Luffy managed to stop her grandfather with her Haki.

"Luffy, did you think it over and decided to become a Marine? We'll make a Marine out of you yet!" exclaimed Garp.

"Never in my life will I be a Marine," answered Luffy, grinning, "I'm just here to save my friend."

The two started fighting, and Suki managed to gather up her strength and climbed back up. She tried to join the battle and ended up facing Akainu, the very man who shattered her life all those years ago.

"Don't you care about your village?" asked Akainu.

"No duh, that's why I'm here to beat you guys up and set me and my island free."

"Not a chance I'll let scum like you defeat us."

"You just did." Suk grinned, as she saw the First Division, even Whitebeard himself had come and joined the battle.

The Admiral looked up and saw the enemy's allies. He scowled, and called to the Marines, "Retreat! We're no match for these pirates!"

"You want to leave?"asked Whitebeard, smiling devilishly, "well, I'll help you with that!"

The Whitebeard Pirates knew what Whitebeard was about to do and quickly rushed towards him, getting away from the Marines. Then, to the Marines' horror, he punched at the ground and cracks appeared. The cliff collasped and down went the Marines, Admirals and Garp, dropping into the sea below.

"SUKI!"

Suki looked around and she saw her family and beside them...

"Kokora! You're all okay!"

Suki ran towards them and she hugged Kokora and her entire family. Everyone was so happy, and they started crying in joy. They were finally free from the Marines and they were all together again.

That night, everyone partied at the Moby Dick. Laughter filled tha air and evyone ate until they could eat no more. At one point, Suki climbed up to the crows nest. She was looking at the stars when Luffy joined her.

"So Suki, what do you plan on doing now? I mean, you're going to get a bounty for sure after this fiasco. And you don't need to worry about the island any more since Pops decided to take this island under our protection."

Suki looked down and answered, "I never really thought of it before; I never thought that we would be free again."

"Well, I have a proposal for you. Why don't you become the first-mate of the newly formed Straw Hat Pirates, captained by none other than me?"

"Sure... wait, WHAT?"

"Yay! I have my first crew member!"

"Wait! I didn't agree with you!"

"Yes you did."

The two continued to argue until eventually Luffy won with a burst of randomness. Suki just sighed and started cracking up. _Well, that was unexpected, but now that I'm a pirate with Luffy, I'll be free._ She thought. Then she looked back at her new captain, _and I'll be on so many adventures and probably be cracking up half the time._

She started to worry about how she would explain to her family and everyone the next morning, but apparently Luffy had took the initiative to tell them already. She told her that everyone was happy to hear that she had found a new friend and a new place to be. At least, that's what Luffy said, and who knew if she was lying. Suki just sighed. In the end, she'll have to tell them herself.

She climbed off the Moby Dick and headed towards one of the places she was most familiar with: Kokora's home. The last time she was there was 7 years ago, but everything still looked the same. She was a little hesitant about knocking on the door, though. She was about to tell her childhood friend that she was leaving the island, most likely for good. She was going to knock when Kokora opened the door.

"Were you going to stay there all day, or were you going to come in?" asked Kokora smiling, as if nothing had happened.

"Of course I was gonna come in! Why would I stay outside all day, especially in this heat?"

They walked inside, chatting about random things, and up to Kokora's room. Kokora knew something was wrong with Suki, and she guessed it was about joining Luffy as a pirate.

**Last night, at Suki's home**

Kokora had gone home with Suki's parents after the party. She was just about to head back to her own own home, when a girl about her age with a straw hat barged in.

"Hey, are you people Suki's family and friends?" demanded the girl.

"Umm, who in the world are you?" asked Kokora.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce myself." the girl said, scratching her head, "I'm Monkey D. Luffia, call me Luffy, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, also known as Dragon Bolt Luffy. Last time I checked I had a bounty of 350 million beri. I'm not too sure; it might have gone up."

Everyone looked at Luffy in a mix of fright, confusion and bewilderment They were in fright because, well, Luffy was a freaking pirate with a bounty higher than all the money they've seen. In their lives. Confused of why Luffy would wnt to see them. And bewildered at how in the world did such a young (not to metion brain less) girl have that high a bounty.

"If you're with Whitebeard, are you a messenger?" asked Suki's dad.

"Nope, I need to tell you something." answered Luffy, "just wanted to let you know that Suki will be joining my newly formed pirate crew, the Straw Hat Pirates."

Her words were greeted with silence. They knew that Suki had always wanted to come back to the island, so why become a pirate now, when she had the chance to come back to the island?

Kokora was the most surprised, but now that she thought more about it, her friend's decision started to make some sense. Her friend had been trapped by the Marines for half her life. Being a pirate meant that she would be free to do as she wanted, now that she didn't have the burden of protecting them.

She looked to Suki's family and saw that they started to think the same as her. Kokora started to speak, "Well, we're all right with that, as long as she is happy, we don't mind."

Suki's family nodded in agreement, though sadness clouded their eyes.

**Back to the present**

"So, did Luffy tell you about me becoming a pirate?" asked Suki nervously.

Kokora nodded, and said, "What are you so nervous about? It's not like we can't be friends still." Kokora saw Suki's eyes widen with surprise, "I mean, you'll still keep contact, right?"

Suki just smiled and nodded madly, "Alright, I'll be going now, then, OK?"

With that she leapt out the window, which of course freaked Kokora out. She looked out and saw Suki running towards the docks waving at her. She wiped away some tears, happy for her friend.

**A/N: OK, that was a little long. Sorry about the really messed up battle. Thanks for reading! Please read and review!**


	8. The Journey Begins!

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thanks to those who reviewed! Also, in one of the reviews (TheBlackSeaReaper) asked if the Straw Hat Pirates would be the same. I'm not sure yet, but I already have some ideas for a different crew. If you have a good idea of someone who should be in the crew, please write it down in the review section. Please include stuff like their background, appearance, fighting abilities, devil fruits etc. if they are an OC. Thanks! **

**Summary: Suki and Luffy have formed the Straw Hat Pirates. As everyone bids their farewells, their adventure begins!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. This story is my continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing up with Whitebeard.**

Chapter 8: The Journey Begins!

Luffy was walking over to Whitebeard's cabin, to ask for a boat and some supplies. She was nervous about telling him that she would be leaving, but her decision was made. She would leave the next morning with Suki, and head to wherever the sea led them to.

When she got to his cabin, she knocked on the door and walked in. Whitebeard was talking to Marco. They looked up at Luffy, somewhat surprised at seeing her.

"Luffy, what is it?" asked Whitebeard, in his usual loud and booming voice.

"Just wanted to ask for a small boat and some supplies. I'm leaving with Suki to start my own crew." answered Luffy.

Whitebeard raised a brow, but wasn't too shocked about it. Marco had been telling him about it just now. He just grinned and said, "Fine, we'll prepare a small boat and a month's worth of supplies for you. And do you want me to tell Thatch to prepare some feast as your last day here?"

Luffy nodded and while smiling, said, "Thanks Pops!" She ran off and the two still in the cabin chuckled.

"Time flies, doesn't it. I still remember the time we first met her and her brothers, when they were still little brats, don't you Pops?"

"Gurararara! Of course I do! And they're still brats in my eyes!"

**That night, in the mess hall**

Everyone was gobbling up all the food, laughing at each other and getting drunk. The usual. But something was nagging them at the back of their heads, or at least to some of the smarter ones. The food was delicious as usual, but it seemed a little fancier than what they usually had.

"I have an announcement to make!" yelled Luffy, standing beside Whitebeard. No one heard her, since they were too busy eating.

"I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, SO YOU BETTER LISTEN, OTHERWISE, BY THE RIGHTS OF A COMMANDER, I'LL HAVE ALL OF YOU JOIN MY TEA PARTY!" roared Luffy, losing her patience.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately gave Luffy their full attention, not wanting to be in one of her tea parties.

"Now, I have something important to tell you all." said Luffy, "I'm leaving the Whitebeard Pirates to start my own crew."

As soon as she finished that sentence, the pirates started protesting and yelling.

"No way! You got to be joking!"

"You are not leaving us!"

"Why?"

Luffy waited a bit for them to calm down. Marco, who was standing beside her, saw a small smile come on to her face.

"Nope, I am not lying. I will be leaving with Suki. But I will not forget any of you. You people gave me a family and a home. Thank you for taking care of me!"

Someone from the Second Division called out, "What do you mean by thanking us? We should be thanking you for leading and protecting us in so many battles, Luffy!"

"Yeah, we should thank you!"

My people cried out, and Luffy felt a tear roll down her cheek. This tear wasn't filled with sadness. No, it was filled with happiness, filled of good memories.

"Now let's stop feeling emotional and," Luffy said, loading a plate full of food and slamming it right into Marco's face, "FOOD FIGHT!"

Everyone cheered, and food was flying through the air in a matter of seconds. Everyone joined in, even Marco and Whitebeard. By the time the food fight was over, nobody was in a recognizable state.

**The next day**

Luffy woke up to the sound of Suki yelling at her. This wasn't surprising, considering that they should have left in the morning, and not in the afternoon when Luffy still hadn't woken up. Eventually Luffy dragged herself out of bed, got dressed and walked outside. The moment she did, Suki's fist came in contact with her face.

"What was that for?" pouted Luffy, rubbing her face.

"WHY DID YOU WAKE UP SO LATE?"

"Sorry, I sleep a lot."

Suki just sighed and she dragged Luffy to their new boat. Luffy's eyes sparkled at it. The boat had two sails, and 4 cabins. It also had a small kitchen area, and for some reason, a fire-proof lock to the door (I wonder why?). The front of the ship had a dragon, just like Luffy when she transformed, with a straw hat on it.

The moment Suki looked away, Luffy jumped onto the ship and started running around on it, nearly destroying the ship in the process. It took a while for Suki to stop her, but luckily Sabo and Ace helped her. They were all laughing at Luffy and her childish actions, and Suki just sighed. _Why does Luffy act so much like a child? _she wondered.

Eventually, it was time for the two to leave. They got ready and were setting off, when they saw the entire Whitebeard crew charge at them. They were all crying, which was funny since almost nothing made them cry. The one crying the most was Marco, which Luffy laughed at. They waved at them, and they heard Whitebeard yell, "You are always welcome here, Luffy!"

Suki, who was navigating, spoke, "So where are we heading, Captain?"

"Loguetown, the island of beginnings and endings!"

Luffy was finally chasing after her dream once again.

**Loguetown**

People were whispering quietly among themselves as they saw a 19 year old boy, handcuffed, being dragged to the Marines HQ.

The said boy, just muttered, "I will not let you down, mother."

**A/N: The chapter was a little short, but it felt like a good place to stop. Anyways, please give me ideas for characters! Thanks!**


	9. Execution

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone reading this! Also, I really hope that some of you can review and tell me some ideas for the crew. Please?**

**Summary: The newly formed Straw Hat crew, has finally set sail, and are heading towards Lougetown, where they find themselves at an execution. But with a Marine HQ right on that island, of course something is going to happen.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This is my version of a continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing up with Whitebeard.**

Chapter 9: Execution

When the two docked at the Lougetown port, Luffy rushed off, apparently looking for the execution platform. But, she was going to the opposite direction, and directly to the Marine HQ. Luckily, Suki had caught hold of her before she could get too far.

"Do you want to be captured? The captain here, Smoker, has never let any pirate get away from here." hissed Suki, slightly annoyed.

"Like he'll catch me. No one on earth has caught me before, well except for Pops, Marco, Ace, Sabo, Thatch maybe..."

Suki just whacked Luffy on the head, and sighed at her captain's carelessness. But she did see a point in what Luffy was saying. She had been the Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates. And she fights Admirals with somewhat ease. Even so, she had to get some sense into her captain.

"You can go wherever, but not towards the Marine HQ. If you see any Marines, you will NOT fight them and you will NOT let them see you. Understood?"

Luffy just grumbled but Suki heard something along the lines of 'worse than Marco and Garp combined.' She smiled inwardly; her captain could be such a child. She was still thinking about that when she saw her race past her and into the town. Suki raced after her, since she knew that Luffy had the worst sense of direction.

**3 Days ago**

The two were in their ship, sailing towards Lougetown. Suki yawned, tired from navigating the ship for so long. Luffy saw this and suggested that she took over for a while, and Suki could have a nap. She just nodded tiredly, and headed to her cabin. The moment she was within the range of her bed, she just fell flat on to it, snoring loudly.

A few hours later, when Suki woke up and went outside, they were in a completely different area. In fact, they seemed to be in the Calm Belt. But Suki could've sworn that when she had went to sleep, they had been only a day's journey away from their destination, and by this time, they should've seen the island. annoyed, she stomped over to Luffy, who was happily steering the boat in random directions. Suki walked right up to her and whacked her in the head; something that she had done on a daily basis now.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE WERE ALMOST AT THE ISLAND AND NOW WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF DIRECTION?" screamed Suki, nearly causing Luffy to go deaf.

Her captain just grinned and said cheerfully, "Nope, none at all. I still get lost on the Moby Dick."

Suki, who seriously was considering throwing Luffy overboard, got Luffy away from the steering wheel (**did they use steering wheels? I don't know, I'll just say they do**). She forced Luffy to tie a around herself and the ship, and made her transform so she could pull the ship. Luffy groaned at first, but Suki gave her the evil eye and threatened to change her hat into seastone again. Luffy shut up and did as she was told.

Suki, from that day on, decided to never in her life to ever let Luffy lead or show directions ever again.

**Back to the present**

While Suki was franticly searching for Luffy, the said missing person was wandering the streets, shocking any and all who saw her. She was one of the most wanted. Some people screamed, some fainted, but she just kept walking along, running up to food vendors. The moment she did, the people ran off, leaving the vendor alone. Bad idea, as Luffy inhaled all food at the vendor, be it rotten, mushy or just plain disgusting.

Luffy, however was unaware of this, and after walking around for two hours, she finally remembered that she didn't know where the execution platform was. She walked up to a Marine, forgetting what Suki had said before about not letting them see her.

"Do you know where the execution platform is?" asked Luffy innocently.

"Um, sure, it's over there," the Marine said, clueless about who she was, pointing to where a fountain was, right in the middle of the town.

"Thanks!" and Luffy ran off. It was only then that the Marine recognized who she was, and he jumped in alarm, eyes popping out of their sockets. He immediately got out a den den mushi and contacted Captain Smoker.

"Captain Smoker, we have spotted Monkey D. Luffy! She is heading towards the execution platform! What are your orders?"

The said captain was silent for a few moments. Eventually, he said, "Stay where you are. Warn the ciizens to get away."

"Yessir!"

The Captain sat in his office. He was trlying to think up a battle plan. He had heard rumors of a secret Admiral who had gone rouge, most likely to become a pirate. He wasn't sure if she would be there with Monkey D. Luffy, but if she was, it is going to be rough.

_Wait, didn't the Marine say that Monkey D. Luffy was heading towards the execution platform? Goddamnit, some guy is being executed there right now! _thought Smoker.

"Tashigi! Get yourself over here in ten seconds flat or else!"

In mere seconds, a young lady barged into the room, stumbling over what appeared to be her own swords. She quickly straightened herself up and saluted to the Captain.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, go and lead a platoon of Marines into the buildings near the execution platform! Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate with a bounty of 350 million beri, is heading towards there. There is a young man being executed at the moment and we need to make sure that the pirate is arrested and the execution goes on smoothly. Now, go!"

"Yes sir!"

The two left the room, Tashigi heading to gather the Marines and Smoker heading off to face the pirate.

**Back to Suki**

Suki, who was still looking for Luffy, hid in the shadows as she saw Marines run by, afraid that they might recognize her. Though she had been kept a secret for the most part, she wasn't sure if the Marines had given her a wanted poster for going rouge.

"Hurry! We have to get to the buildings surrounding the execution platform! We mustn't fail to capture Monkey D. Luffy!" one of the Marines called to the others. This caught Suki's attention and she turned invisible, following the Marines. _Why does Luffy just have to be discovered?_

**At the execution platform, with Luffy**

"Why is there a person on the execution platform?" Luffy asked the people around her, clueless.

"Don't you know? That person up there is the last of a family of murderers! Generation after generation, they mercilessly kill Marines!" hissed someone behind her.

"Oh, well, I don't want him there; he's blocking my view of the platform."

As she said this, she ran forward and climbed up to the top of the platform in mere moments. The people gaped at her agility, as did the Marines, executioners and the young man.

Luffy just frowned, thinking to herself. _Why are the people so shocked? I grew up with the Whitebeard Pirates, what do they expect? And my last name is monkey._

She shrugged and started to look around in awe, and said, "Wow, so this must be what Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, saw before he died! Cool!"

While she was looking around, the executioners went up to try to push her of the platform. Try as they might, she kept on dodging their attempts with ease still in awe. The young man, seeing this as a chance tried to get Luffy's attention. He called to her, and she just looked at him in surprise, as if she had never noticed him there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What do you think? I'm about to be executed! Please help me get these off!" he answered, slightly shocked at Luffy's cluelessness.

Luffy just gave a small shrug and walked over towards the young man. The executioners saw what she was doing and tried to push her away. Annoyed, she transformed slightly and knocked the men away with her tail. She kept on walking, and knelt beside him.

"If I let you go, promise to join my crew?"

The young man gritted his teeth, not really caring about anything but escaping. He was already wanted, and being a pirate might help him travel farther to get away. It may also help him in his goals…

"Fine, just get me out."

Luffy grinned and she easily tore the handcuffs off him. The young man marveled at her raw strength. he hadn't even broke a sweat, and she was still grinning.

"Name?" she questioned.

"Juana Nite."

"Monkey D. Luffy."

Nite didn't even have time to say another word, as he saw Marines pouring in from everywhere. In the lead was Captain Smoker. He got a slight shock a seeing them all, but wasn't worried at all, since beside him was one of the most wanted.

The two on the platform leaped right off the platform, preparing to attack. The Marines rushed at them, swords and guns at the ready. They stormed through the Marines, knocking down whoever was in sight. Nite was slightly disappointed at himself for only defeating so little Marines, but he blamed it on the fact that he didn't have his weapons. More Marines charged at him, but he wasn't ready. He was almost hit by the swords, until he saw the Marines get knocked away by something.

"Luffy, what did you get yourself into?" groaned a voice, and Nite looked in surprise as a young girl appeared in front of him.

"Nothing, but I just got us our next crew member!"

"Well, you might as well just give up on getting any more, Monkey D. Luffy. I, Captain Smoker, will arrest you today in the name of Justice!" roared Smoker, and Luffy was nearly caught by a fist of smoke.

"Oh, someone wants to play with me!" said Luffy happily, unaware of her situation. She got into a battle stance and grinned.

**A/N: I really need some ideas for the crew. Please review! Thanks!**


	10. Scavanger Hunt

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Here's the tenth chapter everyone! Sorry about the wait, I had a lot of homework. Sorry.**

**Summary: Smoker appears and challenges Luffy, but the trio want to leave Lougetown. But before they can, they have to find Nite's weapons! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This is my continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing up with Whitebeard. I own all OCs and Devil Fruits I create.**

Chapter 10: Scavenger Hunt

Luffy grinned as Smoker launched another punch at her, but she easily avoided it. She ran up to punch Smoker at amazing speed, who smiled as he thought the fist would go through him. He was wrong as he felt himself go flying, flattening Marines as he went.

"Pirate scum, what did you do?"

Luffy chuckled, "First time I found a Marine who doesn't know about Haki. And a logia type at that."

Smoker grimaced and the two started to fight. Smoker could barely even protect himself from Luffy's attacks, who wasn't even breaking a sweat. He knew he couldn't beat her; her skill was far better than her bounty proved to be.

Tashigi saw this and immediately rushed over to where the two were battling. She crept up from behind Luffy and slashed down. Luffy quickly managed to roll away, only to be kicked by Smoker. She landed in the fountain, demolishing it, but got up quickly, remaining unfazed. Her two opponents charged at her again, but she transformed partially and took to the air.

She looked around and saw more Marines coming, and they tried to shoot her. She just let out bolts of electricity and knocked out most of the Marines. Smoker, persistent to the end, tried to grab Luffy with his smoke. She flew downards towards the said Captain and slashed at him with her claws fused with Haki and electricity.

The Captain went down, blood flowing from the wound. Luffy turned to the other Marines, daring them to come any closer. The Marines backed off, but it wasn't until the air seemed to drop a few degrees did Luffy feel something was wrong. In mere moments, the water fountain had frozen in ice, and Luffy could make out a tall figure walking casually towards her. As the figure got closer, Luffy knew she was in for another battle, since of course, some divine deity always thought that it would be fun to see Luffy facing some high ranking dudes, _again. _She didn't even need another moment to figure out that it was Aokiji, Admiral, heading towards her. She sighed and got into a fighting stance. _Guess I'll have to fight properly now…_ thought Luffy.

Suki, who was fighting alongside Nite, looked around as she had noticed the temperature drop. She saw Luffy, and then she saw Aokiji walking to her captain. Knowing that a battle was sure to ensue, she called to Luffy, "Come on Luffy, we gotta go! Don't want to cause too much trouble! And I already got enough supplies for a long while! "

Luffy nodded and ran towards the docks, where their ship was docked. Suki and Nite ran after her, with Marines hot on their heels. As they neared the docks, Nite called out, "Luffy! I need to get my weapons back!"

Luffy just nodded and asked, "Do you know where they are?"

"They were taken and Smoker has them in his office, I think."

"Okay, Suki do you possibly know where his office is?"

"No, but most likely on the upper floors."

Luffy spread her wings, and grabbing on to Nite and Suki, flew towards the Marine HQ. During the flight, Suki noticed how Nite looked. He was wearing a hoodie, with the hood up, without a shirt underneath as it wasn't zipped up. He had long track pants that were stained with blood, and metal lined the sides of the pants, and he wore a metal belt. The belt had deep scratches in them and she noticed a long scar on his chest. Suki was so deep in thought, that when they were about to land, she nearly fell, but Luffy managed to keep a hold on her. Luffy quickly let loose a small bolt of electricity and blasted a hole in the HQ; just the right size for the three to go in by.

Once they had landed inside the HQ, they ran off searching for Nite's weapons. They were being chased by Marines once again, but the trio mostly ignored them.

"What are do your weapons look like?"questioned Suki as they finally made it to Smoker's somewhat clutered and large office.

"Chains, but I'll find them no problem." Nite said, and as he said, he closed his eyes in concetration. His weapon, chains with something like mix of a mace and a grappling hook at the end of both sides, came to him. Luffy and Suki watched in amazement at that and were about to ask about it, when Smoker, Tashigi and the Marines barged in.

Nite grinned and motioned to the pirates to let him take care of it. He started to swing the chains around and got into a fighting stance.

"Torappu o kaesu*!" Nite said, throwing the chains at the Marines at high speed. The Marines ducked and snickered, but Nite grinned as he whispered, "Zangeki o kaesu**."

He pulled his hands back and the chains flew back, slashing at the Marines. None of them were spared and they fell to the floor, injured and bloody.

Before the girls could ask about the chains, Nite hooked them up on his metal belt, and said, "Later. When we're back on the ship."

The trio nodded and Luffy picked them up once more and flew towards their ship. The moment they landed, they began to get ready to leave. It took them a while, but eventually they set sail and once everything was going smoothly, Suki spoke, "So what's your name. You haven't introduced yourself yet."

"Neither have you two." Nite said in reply.

Suki sighed and said, "My name Han D. Suki, and was formerly a Marine Admiral by force and I will not discuss any more of my past. I ate the Henkõ Henkõ no mi, which allows me to change myself and things or people I am touching near invisible by changing myself and them into the same colours as the background. I can also change the substance of whatever I am holding or touching, even into seastone. And the idiot of a captain here," she continued pointing at Luffy, "is Monkey D. Luffy, former Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates. They were basically her family and she has a bounty of 350 million beri. She ate the Doragon Doragon no mi. I am not too sure about its abilities, though."

Luffy, seeing their questioning looks just said, "It's a mythical zoan type, and I transform into a dragon. I am fireproof, can blow fire and have control and power over electricity. So what about you, Nite?"

"My name is Juana Nite, and I am an orphan. My family was killed by a Tenryuubito, and I have been on the dark side of the law ever since I have attempted to kill him. That is one of my two goals, the other which I won't tell you. Yet. And before you even ask about the chains, I use a special type of Haki only people of my bloodline can use."

Suki frowned at him. Since he had been on the dark side of the law, could they trust him?

Nite saw Suki's frown and said, "You can trust me. Even though I have been on the dark side for most of my life, I still have honour. I won't kill the people who saved me."

With this he walked away, heading for one of the cabins and said, "I'm going to sleep."

Suki turned to Luffy and asked, "Can we trust him?"

Luffy frowned, "What do you mean? He said we can trust him. I mean, I haven't exactly been on the good side and you trust me, right?" She didn't wait for an answer and went off to her own cabin.

Suki thought over what Luffy had said. She trusted Luffy, and Luffy trusted her. But could the same be said for Nite?

**A/N: Sorry for the really lame ending and the long wait. I was typing this on my phone and I ended up re-typing this three times. Anyways, thanks for reading! And I hope you can review or give me ideas! Thanks!**

*** means **_**returning trap.**_

**** means **_**slashing chains**_


	11. Nite

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Hey everyone, Dreamwritergoddess here! Thanks to everyone who read this, added it to their favourites or put on alert! Thanks! But, before we start, just wanted to say that I will be using OCs, but the original crew might appear sometime as special guests. Anyways, on with the story!**

**Summary: Juana Nite, a young man with a mysterious past, has joined Luffy and Suki, but will he gain Suki's trust?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This is my continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard. I own any and all OCs and Devil Fruits created for this fanfic, as well as the story line. **

Chapter 11: Nite

The sun was just rising when Suki had woken up. She quietly crept out her cabin, making sure not to wake the other two up. Even though it wasn't official, she had taken up the duty of navigator since if they let Luffy navigate, the ship would probably be floating around in the Calm Belt with holes in its hull.

She headed towards the steering wheel, bring her compass and map with her. She checked the direction and the fridge, to see if a specific person had raided it at night. She gave a sigh of relief as nothing seemed to be missing, and she started to make breakfast. While she was making the food, her mind kept on wandering to Nite. Though he had said they could trust him, she wasn't completely sure. Years of distrust among the Marines seemed to leave its mark on her mind. Now, she didn't place trust in anyone, except Luffy, Whitebeard and a few others in Whitebeard's crew.

She was so deep in thought, she hadn't noticed Nite walk into the kitchen. The young man kept his distance, knowing that Suki didn't trust him yet. He understood why, but he hoped that she would see that he meant no harm to them. He wanted them to trust him, yet he didn't know how. He just sighed, and Suki flinched when she heard him. She spun around quickly, drawing out her dagger, pointing it at Nite's throat. When she realized who he was, she put away her dagger, but Nite could see distrust in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Suki.

"Just wanted to get some food, but since you're already making some, I just hope that you made some for me and Luffy as well."

"Make your own food; I only made enough for me and Luffy, not you." Suki said in distaste.

Nite sighed once again and headed to the fridge, taking out some bread and jam. He sat down, making his own little breakfast. Silence filled the room, as both had many thoughts running through their heads.

_How can I gain her trust? Tell her my past? _Nite asked himself, then he waved the thought away, _No, I can't! No one can know! But if I tell her and Luffy and gain their trust, maybe they can help me… _Nite pondered on the thought, wondering if he should take the risk. Eventually Nite gave in and asked Suki, "If I tell you my reasons for my actions, will you trust me?"

"Maybe, depending on what they are." Suki said in reply, slightly surprised.

"Well, if you want to know, better get Luffy. She might want to hear it too."

"You get her; I'm not waking her up."

Nite just walked out the door and went to Luffy's cabin. He knocked on the door and when no one answered, he opened the door and went inside. The cabin was a mess, clothes and random things scattered around. He sighed once again, and shook Luffy, attempting to wake her up. The girl continued sleeping peacefully, not disturbed in the slightest way. Nite, getting impatient, proceeded to yell in her ear, saying, "If you don't c wake up, I'm gonna eat your breakfast which means NO MEAT FOR YOU!"

Luffy woke up the moment he said the word meat, and jumped out of bed, racing to the kitchen, following the scent of food. Nite followed slowly after her, somewhat amused by her childish attitude. By the time he reached the kitchen, all traces of food were gone and Suki was whacking Luffy on the head, _again. _It wasn't hard to figure out what happened, and it was a funny sight, and a small smile grew on his face. But time to get to more important matters.

"Can you two stop and listen to what I have to say?" asked Nite, with a commanding glare.

The two looked up at him, and Luffy was about to talk back to him, but Suki whacked her on the head once again and whispered something to Luffy, "Shut up Luffy; this is really important."

"Tell us your reasons, as you said you would." Suki said.

"Before I tell you anything, just know that my past is pretty, let's just say, violent." warned Nite, "Well, anyways, it all began when I was 8…"

**11 Years ago, Sabaody Archipelago **

A young boy was in the forest, running about, and overall, having fun. The boy's face was filled with happiness as he chased the poor animals around. It was all fun, but his stomach was growling and he headed back home, hungry for food. While he was heading back, he saw a man wearing what looked like a space suit, riding a person with guards around him. A person was in front of the weird man, and the person quickly ran away, but that wasn't before a gunshot rang through the air. The boy, watched in silence, as the person fell to the ground, blood gushing from the gunshot. The person screamed in pain, but the weird man didn't seem to be done with the person. More gunshots were heard, and soon the person lay still, with holes all over his body. The boy ran away quickly, scared of what he saw. He raced home, and headed towards his mother.

She was in her mid-thirties, and had beautiful silky black hair. She wore jeans and a tank top, not something the average mother would wear, but then again, she wasn't the average person. The boy didn't know that yet, but he would soon. Real soon.

"Nite, my dear boy, is something wrong?" Nite's mother asked, seeing her son panting.

"Mom, I just saw some weird man kill someone! He shot the person over and over again!" Nite said, holding back tears.

His mother knelt down, hugging Nite. The boy sniffled and his mother patted him on his head.

"Don't cry, Nite, you are a strong boy, are you not?" comforted his mother, "The weird man you saw was a Tenryuubito, people who can do whatever they please. They will kill anyone who crosses their path. Please, don't cry, when you do, it makes me sad."

The boy stopped crying, and gave his mother a small smile, not wanting to make her sad. His mother smiled back, but then there was knock on the door.

"Juana Mari! Saint Charloss demands you to come out!" yelled a voice outside

Nite saw his mother stiffen, but she flashed him a smile, "Go Nite, go hide. I'll be back in a jiffy."

Nite nodded and ran off to his room. He hid inside his closet, and didn't dare to make a sound. He knew his mother would be fine; she always was. He remembered the time when a group of robbers had attacked them, and his mother had told him to hide like today. Five minutes later, his mother had come to get him, not even scratched, with the robbers beat up and tied to each other. Another time, someone had kidnapped Nite, and threatened to kill him. His mother told him to close his eyes, and a moment later, his captor was on the floor with too many injuries to count. There were many other times, but he was jerked out of his thoughts as his mother had come up to find him. She gave him another smile and said, "Everything is fine now, Nite. Come with me, I want to show you something."

Nite did as he was told and followed his mother. She led him to a locked door. Nite knew which door this was. The door that was always locked. The door that he was to never go through. But now, his mother unlocked the door and led him inside. She turned on the lights, and Nite saw training equipment everywhere, as well as weapons. When he was about to ask his mother, she said, "Hush, Nite. I want you to know this, but don't freak out when I tell you, okay?"

Nite nodded, curious about what his mother was about to say.

"I'm a trained assassin and thief."

**A/N: Ha! A cliff-hanger! I probably will update sometime this week, depending on if I am allowed to stay home. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this!**


	12. Alone

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Hey everyone, Dreamwritergoddess back with more! Without further ado, here's chapter 12!**

**Summary: Juana Mari, Nite's mother, an assassin and thief, reveals her true self. How will this change Nite's life? And what did Saint Charloss want?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. This is my continuation of Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard. I own any and all OCs and Devil Fruits created for this fanfic. **

Chapter 12: Alone

**(Still in the same time frame as the last chapter)**

"What do you mean you're an assassin and thief?" questioned Nite innocently, "What are assassins?"

"Assassins," Juana Mari said, thinking about how to word it properly, "are people kill people for their clients. They will kill whoever, as long as they are paid adequately; it doesn't matter to them."

"Does that mean you kill people? And you steal?" asked Nite, horrified, and he added in a whisper, "Does that mean you're a criminal?"

Mari nodded, and then said to Nite, "There is a reason, my son. Everyone who bears the blood of the family Juana does what I do. But it is all for our family. I won't tell you now, but you will understand soon."

Nite nodded back, but his image of his mother was changed forever. Before, she had been sweet, trusting, caring, the one who he loved the most. Now, she was still that, but underneath, she was a criminal, a murderer, one to keep secrets.

"I need you to follow our family's footsteps, Nite. I need you to learn all our tricks and skills. You need to; otherwise all our family has been through will be wasted."

Nite looked at his mother in shock. Why would she want him to do this?

"Please, Nite. I don't have much time. You have to do this, please."

Nite thought for a while, arguing with himself. One side didn't want to be a other wanted to, to make his mother happy. His mother saw his confusion and embraced him in a hug.

"You don't need to tell me now. I'm not going to force you, but I really hope you can do this for me."

Nite, nodded slowly, knowing that his decision would probably be for the worse, said to his mother, "What do I have to do?"

His mother released him and said, "I will have to train you every day. It's going to be tough, but I will be with you. Eventually, you will be like me. Then, I will tell you the reason."

He nodded again, not knowing what to say. From then on out, his mother trained Nite to be stealthy and to fight. Day and night they trained, his mother pushing him to his limits. By the time a year passed, Nite was an excellent fighter, able to fight off men twice his size. His mother was proud of him, but he always saw a flicker of worry whenever Saint Charloss came to their home.

Saint Charloss would come every week, demanding Nite's mother to come out. She would send Nite to train by himself, and would come back after a few hours. She would be exhausted when she came back, as if she had been fighting for her life. Nite was worried, but she would always comfort him, saying, "Don't worry little one, I'll always be here when you need me."

But this all changed one day. The two had been training hard, harder than they normally were. His mother had been looking grim, ever since the last time Saint Charloss had come. She had come home rather quickly that time, being gone for less than an hour. She was in a state of rage, but only told Nite, "We need to hurry. We need to leave soon."

That day, Nite's mother had brought him up to her room. She opened a secret compartment, hidden within a wall. Inside was a long chain, with sharp and spiked arrow-like points at the end of the chains. His mother took it out, and handed it to Nite. It wasn't as heavy as Nite had expected; instead it was light and well balanced. He looked up at her with a questioning look, wondering what the chain was for.

"Those chains are for you to keep, Nite. They are your weapons, passed down by my mother. They are very special, but I need you to put out your hands and the chains first." Nite's mother said, and Nite did as he was told."

"I need you to concentrate on those chains. Try to feel your Haki, and channel it into the chains."

Nite concentrated and felt energy flowing through his arm. He channeled the energy to the chains, and the chains started to move. Soon he got tired, but he kept trying again and again, and finally, after a few hours, he was able to move them around freely. He went to find his mother, who had gone down to meet Saint Charloss. When Nite had reached her, she had pinned Saint Charloss down.

"Nite? Why are you here? Get back inside!" exclaimed his mother.

Saint Charloss smiled, "So, is he your one and only dear little child, Mari? Well, since you love him so much, I wonder if you'll still be this strong if you see him die, hmm." He gestured to one of his guards. The guard ran at Nite, and slashed at him. Nite cried out, though not dropping the chains, and his mother ran for him, leaving Saint Charloss. She picked him up and sprinted off into the forest. They could hear Saint Charloss and his men chasing after them. His mother kept running, not stopping until they were sure they were safe.

She laid Nite down, and saw his wound. The wound was diagonal line, from his shoulder down to his waist, and still had some blood trickling down. It would leave a scar, that was for sure, and it needed to be taken care of immediately. His mother picked him up again, and although she was exhausted, she started to run towards a hospital. Once she reached it, she handed Nite to a nurse, and ran away, with Saint Charloss's men chasing her. Nite tried to call out, but he couldn't. Tears ran down his face, as he saw his mother leave. He passed out, and the nurse quickly brought him for surgery.

Meanwhile, Nite's mother was fighting against Saint Charloss's men. Though she was tired from running, she was still fighting fiercely. She had already defeated half of his men, slipping into the shadows and weaving between the enemies. But, even as she was fighting, she knew there was no escape.

"Juana Mari! You are lucky I took pity on you and didn't force you to be my slave! You are supposed to fight for my entertainment! Now, you he shall die!" Saint Charloss exclaimed, "And you will never find the Crystal of Skypiea!"

"No; I won't. But my son will." hissed Mari.

And it wasn't until the sun's ray shone, did Juana Mari fall. To her, her only regret was not being there for Nite, and being unable to guide and watch as he grew up. _You will find it Nite!_

**A week after the death of Juana Mari**

Nite, lying in the hospital, heard the sounds of Saint Charloss's men storming the halls. His eyes snapped open, and a moment later he was gone, out the windows and into the woods. It wasn't until now that he noticed a note hidden inside his chains.

_Dear Nite, _

_If you are reading this, then it means that I have passed on before you. I am sorry for leaving you behind in this cruel world and leaving you with the burden of our family, but this is what you were trained to do. I am sorry and please forgive me. If I could, I would have sacrificed anything to be with you. You were the joy of my life. _

_I know the pain that you are in, but you must be strong. Use what I have taught to survive, and to find the Crystal of Skypiea! The Crystal, found in Skypiea by our ancestors, was stolen and lost in history. Please find it and bring the light of it back to our family. Though we may be assassins and thieves, it was all for this one goal. Please find it Nite!_

_Your Dear and Loving Mother,_

_Juana Mari_

Tears were once again rolling down Nite's face, as he was left alone in this world, with nothing but his mother's note to guide him through. He would be strong, even without his mother, but still, loneliness filled his heart. He shook his head, and raced away, melting into the shadows like he was taught.

**Back to the present**

"…So yeah. That's what happened. And so, I was basically on the dark side to find information and leads, but ended up being caught since Saint Charloss got the Marines to put a bounty for me, and here I am." finished Nite. He looked away, feeling his eyes water.

Suki put a comforting arm around him, and said, "I understand your reasons, but ir you're gonna stay I have one thing to ask from you. No more killing."

Nite gave a small smile, "Sure, not like I really liked it. It was more of a necessity."

Luffy, who had fallen asleep, woke up and said, "Story time is over? Ah well, can we eat now?"

The other two laughed at Luffy. They ignored Luffy, and Suki checked their direction once more. Nite grinned. _I guess I found some people I can be friends with and fall right in place. Like a family. Right, Mother?_

**A/N: This chapter killed me. It was crappy, and I don't know how to change it. Sorry for the horrible chapter, but thanks for reading anyways!**


	13. Running Around

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Okay, I seriously want to apologize for last chapter; it was complete crap. Anyways, I hope you'll like this one better than the other one! Also, the day I've been waiting half a year for is coming! The Hunger Games movie is finally coming out tomorrow! Me and my friends are watching it Saturday, 'cause if we didn't, we'd die. And I bet you that The Hunger Games will have better sales than Twilight. Why? Twilight sucks, while Hunger Games pwns.**

**Summary: Hearing about a circus, the three man crew head over to Piero Island. There, they get to know the stars of the show, the Twin Flyers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Credits to Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard. I own any and all DFs, OCs, locations etc. created for this fanfic. **

Chapter 13: Running Around

"And now, we present you with, the daring and amazing, Twin Flyers, Mikaila and Mickalis!"

The crowd looked up and saw two teens, maybe around 17, standing on the trapezes. The two twins, one girl, one boy, were wearing bright orange and yellow stripped costume. The girl's was a short, sleeve-less dress, and she had short, brown hair with a tuft of dyed orange hair in the front. The boy was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and track pants, both orange and yellow. He had short hair with a tuft of orange in the front, like his sister. They were both waving and smiling happily, enjoying the attention.

They started their performance, swinging from trapeze to trapeze, like monkeys. They were agile and fast, and their faces were filled with joy, never doubting their abilities. Suki watched in awe, while Luffy started pouting.

"I can do that too, and I don't need those bar thingies. They can't even fly!" complained Luffy.

"Not everyone can grow wings and fly, like you, idiot! They don't even have any Devil Fruit powers!" exclaimed Suki, "And look at them! They're practically flying!"

The Twins were flipping between trapezes with ease; the number of flips never under 4. They twisted and turned in the air in unison, as if they could read the mind of their partner and predict their next move. At the end of their act, they flipped onto a trapeze in the middle, and did handstands, the girl only on one hand on the boy's feet. They somehow kept their balance, and the crowd went wild, cheering and crying out to them.

The two flipped back onto the platforms beside the trapezes, bowed, and climbed down. Once down, the two cartwheeled off stage, and the ringmaster, announced that the show was over, much to the crowds' disappointment.

The three pirates headed back to the ship, still awed by the performance (Nite and Suki were; Luffy was still grumbling about how she could do that). But although the three were feeling great, they couldn't help but think about the two twins…

**Flashback, a day before**

It was a pretty normal day; Suki was reading the newspaper, Nite was training and Luffy was sleeping as always. There was nothing special going on at the time, but a certain article gave Suki a smile.

"Hey, Luffy! There's something about the Whitebeard Pirates!" called Suki.

Luffy bolted right out of her cabin, and nearly knocked Suki into the water, trying to get the newspaper, squealing, "Let me see! Let me see!"

Suki laughed and gave it to Luffy. Luffy seemed focused on reading and Suki was amazed, as she _thought _her captain was reading. Suki was surprised when Luffy handed the newspaper back to her quickly, too fast for a regular person to read.

"Suki, can you read it for me? I can't read a thing on that paper. The squiggly lines make no sense at all!" said Luffy, as Suki face palmed herself, taking the paper and chuckling.

**WHITEBEARD PIRATES GET NEW DIVISION COMMANDER!**

**Portgaz D. Ace Takes Role as Second Division Commander**

_By: Horribull Riter_

_Former Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates Monkey D. Luffy had seemingly resigned from her position and left the Whitebeard Pirates. Portgaz D. Ace, also known as Fire Fist Ace, has been voted to become Monkey D. Luffy's replacement. This was discovered yesterday, as local residents had witnessed a battle between Sabo and Ace. After a long battle, Ace won and when they left, scorch marks were found at the location of battle. _

_This was confirmed this morning, as the Whitebeard Pirates were seen battling against Marines, during which Portgaz D. Ace claimed to be the new Second Division Commander. The Whitebeard Pirates easily beat the Marines and fled._

By the time Suki was done reading, Luffy was jumping about happily, pumping the air and pestering Nite about Ace, although Nite was just ignoring her. Suki just smirked and kept reading her newspaper. There wasn't anything special until a colourful circus ad caught her eyes.

The circus was called _Canon Circus. _Apparently, one of the main events was an acrobatic sword wielding duo, The Twin Flyers_._ There were also other acts at the circus, but Suki was only interested in the Twins. She wanted to see if they really as good as they said they were. And the circus was at a nearby island anyways.

"Hey, Luffy, Nite, have you ever heard of The Twin Flyers?" asked Suki.

Luffy shook her head, but Nite seemed to know something, "I've heard of them and I know what they do, but why ask?"

"Nothing special, but the circus they perform at is at a nearby island and I wanted to check it out. So, Luffy what do you say?"

Luffy smiled and replied, "Sure! I've never been to a circus before! What's a circus?"

Suki was about to answer but Nite spoke for her, "A circus is a place where people perform acts like magic and trapeze. There are clowns and such. I hear it's pretty colourful, loud and funny. I've never been to one either."

"I haven't been to one as well. So, should we go? I mean, we can also pick up some supplies and relax for a bit." said Suki.

Luffy nodded her head vigorously, "Yes! Yes! I wanna go! I wanna go!"

Nite just shrugged, pretending to not care about whether or not they go, but Suki saw excitement and curiosity in his eyes. Suki smiled and headed to the steering wheel **(A/N: I'm still not sure about what it's called)**, and started to change course for the island the circus was residing at, Piero Island.

**One day later**

By the time the crew had arrived at Piero Island, the sun was already high in the sky. The docks were busy, and the crew was lucky to have been able to find space. The three got off the ship and started to wander around, heading to the town. Suki parted from the group heading of for supplies, while Luffy and Nite explored the town. Or actually, Nite chased Luffy and tried to get a hold on her while she ran around, looking and poking everything around her as she jumped onto roofs and flied around.

Eventually, Nite caught up to Luffy, and held her in a vice-grip, stopping her from going wild in the town again. The sun was hanging low by that time and when Nite checked a nearby clock, he was alarmed that it was already 5:36. He remembered what Suki had said just before she left.

"_Nite, you better keep an eye on Luffy, and you WILL be at the circus by 5:50. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were never born."_

Nite gulped at the thought of what Suki might do to him. He gave it another thought, deciding that he really doesn't want to know. He turned to Luffy, and growled, "Luffy, I'm going to guide you to the circus while you fly, carrying me of course. Got it? If you don't, Suki will be out to get us, which probably will equal to you not having any food for a week, yet again."

Luffy shuddered, and nodded vigorously. She started to grow wings and picked up Nite, leaping into the air. Nite grimaced, knowing that he had just as bad a sense of direction as Luffy. He'd have to try, though, or face the wrath an angry Suki, which never turns out good for him or Luffy. Last time, he nearly got turned into seastone and thrown into the water.

**At the circus**

Suki had been waiting for Nite and Luffy for exactly 13 minutes and 29 seconds, and yet no sign of the two was visible. At least not until she saw to figures in the sky, falling at high speeds. Her eyes popped out of their sockets as she realized that the two were none other than her two companions; no surprise. She barely had any time to change the area they were falling towards into something soft, when the two landed, Nite screaming and Luffy laughing. Suki laughed at Nite, his scream as high pitched as a little girl's. His face went red, embarrassed, and quickly got up, checking to make sure that nothing was broken. After a few evil glares, the two girls stopped and they headed to the tent, Nite leading the way.

The walked around for what seemed like forever, until they reached the performers' resting area. They looked around, hoping to find someone to guide their way. The place was empty, considering the show was starting in 10 minutes.

"Good job Nite; you have _such _a _great_ sense of direction!" Suki exclaimed, smacking Nite.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't see you being of any help!"

Suki sighed, and started to lead the way, and they saw two teens sword playing. The two were fighting against each other in a mock fight, both equally matched. The two were highly skilled; Suki could say that much. They defended and attacked at any chance, swiftly and powerfully. But what intrigued them the most was the number of swords they had. They each had not one, not two, but _three _swords. They held one in each hand, leaving the last hidden in its sheath. The three pirates watched them for a bit longer, until the twins noticed them and ended their fight.

The two twins walked over, their faces slightly red and sweaty, scratching the backs of their heads, and the girl asked, "Um, are you three lost?"

"Yeah. We were wondering if you could tell us how to get back to the main tent." said Nite.

"The tent is over to the right, behind those cages." the girl replied, pointing to said cages.

Nite nodded, and said, "Thanks. And nice swords play."

The twins blushed, looking embarrassed, and the boy mumbled, "Thank you. We've been in love with swords ever since we were little, so we decided to learn how to fight with them. we gotta go prepare for the show. We'll see you then."

"Sure! See ya!" said Luffy happily, butting into their conversation.

Luffy started running towards the main tent, leaving Suki and Nite chasing behind her.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait; I was having trouble deciding which mini plot I should use, considering I have a few I will use. And then there's always homework... Anyways, please review!**


	14. Performers

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: Hey, Dreamwritergoddess here! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted or faved this story. Thanks for your motivation!**

**And sorry for the long wait; I had yet another presentation and project. I know it sounds like another excuse, but it's the truth and when you go to my school, you get at least 2-3 projects per month.**

**Summary: At the show, Suki seems to notice something is off. People with… let's say, similar c_areers _show up, and Suki can't stop thinking about them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Credits to Pokepika's Haunt's Growing Up with Whitebeard for the beginning. **

Chapter 14: Performers

**Same time frame as before**

The three raced towards the main tent, as people started to enter it. By the time they reached the tent, there were only a few seats left, but luckily, they weren't as bad as they thought. There weren't many people up top so they had a better view. It was pretty quiet, or at least it would've been if Luffy wasn't there. But since she was there, silence was not something they had.

"Bwen fill fe bwow shart? (_When will the show start?)_" Luffy asked, her mouth stuffed with popcorn.

Suki glared at Luffy, "How would I know? Be patient. And leave some popcorn for me!"

Suki reached out to grab the popcorn, but Luffy kept it beyond her reach. Suki started to aim for her straw hat, and Luffy yelped in surprise, but still managed to keep the popcorn away. Suki, being as stubborn as she was, continued to reach for it, whacking Luffy as she tried. Nite, sadly, was wedged between the two girls and stuck in the middle of their fight. After a few more minutes of screaming girls and flailing arms, he snatched the popcorn away from Luffy, and poured what remained into his mouth. The two girls stared in surprise and anger, but Nite returned the looks with a glare worthy Mihawk's, daring them to make a move. The two girls sat back down in silence, still fuming, but made no move. A few moments later, the ringmaster walked onto the middle of the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, people of all ages, welcome to Canon Circus, where we're sure to give you a blast!" the ringmaster called out, starting the show. He was rewarded with cheers and applause, the crowd excited for the show.

"First off, we have our lion tamer Mohji and the lion, Richie!" With those words, a giant lion came out, with a man riding it. The man wore a fur vest, and a fur hood like thing on his head, covering his head. The lion was white; or at least, it looked like it was supposed to be white.

When Suki saw the lion tamer, she recognized him from files the Marines kept. With the Marines, there was nothing to do and so she made it her business to memorize most, if not all, the files the Marines had.

_Who is he again? I know I saw him in the files before! He's a pirate, I think. On the crew with Bucky? Biggy? Buggy? Wait! Buggy the Clown! So that Mohji… what is he doing here? I mean, I know Buggy is a clown, but still, why? _Suki thought.

She didn't even notice the act end, and it wasn't until she heard the crowd's cheering did she noticed. She watched as the ringmaster walked up and announced another act.

"Did you enjoy Mohji's and Richie's tricks, hmm? Well, here comes more! I show you Alvida, the world's most beautiful and slippery person!"

Out came a slender woman, sliding around. She had long black hair and she was true to her title. Or at least, that's what the men thought. So when the women saw their husbands and boyfriends gap at Alvida, they started to frown and glare at her, their faces scrunched up in jealousy and distaste. She sent air kisses around and some men fainted. She continued to slide around, as if on ice.

Suki wasn't focused on how she looked, though. She was trying to remember the woman's information. She knew she was a pirate, that was for sure as she had seen her name in the files, but her appearance was _way _off. The one she knew was fat and ugly, pimples all over her face and short as a child.

As the show went on, several other pirates appeared amongst the acts, most being former captains. Cabaji, another member of Buggy's crew, and Kuro, former captain of the Black Cats Pirates, were two that stood out. Although she was thinking hard about the pirates, she still had a great time, enjoying the show as much as the others.

It wasn't until the show ended did she start thinking about the pirates again. Nite, noticing that Suki seemed worried, went up to her as they were walking back to their ship.

"What's on your mind?" Nite asked casually.

"Huh?" Suki said, deep in thought, "I guess it's nothing, but I think I saw pirates in the show."

Nite nodded, signalling her to continue, "Well, I think I saw about ten well-known pirates: Kuro, Mohji, Cabaji, and Alvida. There were others, but I'm not familiar with them. I doubt there up to any good, but they wouldn't be a problem to us."

"True; they are all rookies, ones who've never been to the Grand Line." Nite said, and after a moment, added, "How'd you recognize them? From what I last heard, they were defeated and haven't been seen in a while."

"Eh, well, when I was younger and with the Marines, I got really bored. I found these files and I decided to memorize them all, or at least most of them." Suki answered, earning a smile from Nite.

"Bookworm."

"Loner."

The two smiled, and started to throw insults around playfully. At some point, Luffy joined in as well, but what she said made no sense at all. Once they got back to the ship, they were all laughing, or in Nite's case, chuckling, trying to be emotionless as always. They headed off to their own respective cabins, falling into deep sleep.

**Present time, mystery location**

"Did you locate them?" said someone, the voice full with authority.

"Of course I did; pretty hard to miss them." said another.

"Finally! They will pay, or more to the point, _she _will pay." said a female.

The others nodded in agreement, smiling evilly at what they were about to do.

**A/N: Sorry for the really long wait! I had minor writer's block and a huge presentation. And sorry about the length of this chapter! The next will be better (hopefully…)! **

**Please review! Pretty please with sugar on top?**


	15. Chapter 15: Fire

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: I AM ALIVE AND COMING BACK TO THIS STORY! Before I wanted to rewrite it, but then I got reviews saying I should just continue this one. So, yeah, expect some major editing from me later this summer. I'll probably rewrite the first chapter and some other ones that I feel are horrible. **

**Sorry about all the confusion from before. I got really messed up. Still, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Those last few reviews really helped me!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I don't own.**

Chapter 15: Fire

Nite rose to the smell of smoke, and he quickly scrambled out of bed, grabbing his chains, rushing to wake the others. As he opened the doors, he was greeted by the sight of flames from the seaside town.

"Luffy! Suki! Get up NOW!" Nite yelled as he barged into the other rooms.

Suki had gotten up immediately, but Luffy had taken longer to wake up. This was solved when Suki took the captain's straw hat.

"GIVE ME BACK BOSH-" Luffy was yelling until she was cut off by Suki who had slapped her. Suki thrust the hat back into her hands and quickly dragged her out.

"We have to get to the town! We can't let the townspeople die!" Suki said, as she ran into her room and quickly changed from her pajamas to her usual outfit. It was a dark blue tank top with white stripes, which was paired with a pair of light brown short shorts. She had two tightened straps secured around each of her legs, with which her two daggers were strapped to. She wore some slightly worn out dark working boots. A regular person wouldn't have seen this, with the sky being so dark and only lightened by the flames, but being one accustomed to the dark, Nite could see perfectly.

It was only a few moments later did Nite register what Suki had said, "No! We have to leave now before the fire gets to us!"

The former Marine turned to face the bounty hunter, "And leave these people to die?"

Nite didn't respond and merely scowled, and she said, "I didn't think so. Now, let's get going! Luffy, you and Nite will have to fly in the sky, looking for any people. Help lead them out. I'll go to the circus, since the material of the tent looked highly flammable. Understand?"

The other two nodded, and Luffy drew out her wings taking to the skies, picking up Nite. Suki, after watching her two nakama fly away, turned to the town and ran off, changing her clothes and herself fireproof. As she ran, her thoughts turned to the pirates from before. This had to be their doing; she was sure of it.

_**LINE BREAK**_

When she saw the circus, or what was left of it, she saw the Twin Flyers. The two were fighting off the pirates, trying to ward them away from the rest of the circus troupe. They were doing great, slashing at the pirates and using their acrobatics to dodge the attacks, but Suki could tell that they were tiring and saw beads of sweat as she neared them. When she had gotten close enough, she had turned invisible and blocked a blow from Kuro which would have hit Mikaila. The acrobat turned around, surprised by Suki's appearance. Kuro frowned, leaping away and charging at Suki with speed that would've been impressive to everyone else. Not Suki, of course. The former marine simply turned invisible and sidestepped the attack. She drew out her daggers in a flash, and slashed at the cat like claws, breaking them easily.

"And who are you?" growled Kuro, angered by the fact his claws were shattered.

Suki smirked, "Han D. Suki, former Admiral at your service."

She had expected the pirates to run away in fear, but instead, they started to forget about the twins and turned to her. The twins looked at her incredulously, surprise etched onto their faces. Their surprise was replaced with determination, as they prepared to lunge at the pirates, but Suki called out, "No! I'll fight them. You need to get you and the rest of the circus away!"

The twins looked to their troupe and nodded. They rushed to them and quickly helped them up, leading them away. Suki watched as they left, then turned her attention back to the other pirates.

"So, who wants to go first?"

_**LINE BREAK**_

Nite was ushering yet another family towards the docks, keeping them away from the fire. He sighed. He and Luffy had already found more than seven families in just a little under an hour. He looked around, and then ran back into the flaming town, calling out for anyone left.

"Anybody still here?" he yelled into the flames, and when he didn't get a response, he continued through the town. His eyes watered as the smoke kept rising, but he kept running. Then, he heard the soft sound of someone calling out.

"_Help me…"_

Following the sound, he reached a burning house. Without a second thought, he barged in and immediately spotted a young boy. The boy's eyes brightened at the sight of the pirate and ran to him. Nite picked him up and suddenly heard a creaking noise. He looked up to see one of the wooden support beams falling and quickly rolled out of the way. He rushed out of the house, and ran towards the docks where everyone else was at.

The boy leaped out of his arms and ran towards a sobbing couple. The couple looked up in shock at the sight of the boy, but happiness soon filled their eyes. Nite turned away, heading towards the fires again.

_**LINE BREAK**_

After a while, he had reached the houses hear the forested area of the island. He was shouting out again, his voice growing hoarse. He coughed into his sleeve as more and more smoke came. His eyes watered, but through the flames, he could faintly see the figures of men running towards the forest, instead of the docks. He couldn't see clearly, but from what he could see, there were about ten men, who all seemed to be armed.

Nite knew that this was abnormal, irregular. No one with any common sense would run into a fire without good reason. Looking around, Nite saw no one else and after a moment's hesitation, charged into the flames, following the figures quietly, careful to not be found out.

_**LINE BREAK**_

Suki back flipped away from one of Buggy's hands that wielded throwing knives. She sighed. She had hoped this battle would be an easy one, and it should've been, had the pirates been… normal. Scratch that. Normal doesn't exist in the pirating world.

Back to the story. The pirates refused to stop, even after Suki had given them more than enough heavy injuries. Okay, so maybe the fact that yet another pirate, Don Krieg, had joined the fray gave them more confidence. Regardless the reason, Suki was getting annoyed. Extremely annoyed.

She felt her eyebrow twitch with annoyance as she leapt back, dodging yet another swing from Alvida's club. Really, this was getting ridiculous, and the growing fires weren't helping. She turned invisible again and kicked at the slippery woman, and the kick was "useless". Or at least, it would've been had Suki not turned the bottom of her boots into seastone. She smiled as she sent the woman careening into Mohji and Richie, who had been trying to sneak up on her.

"Mark 5!"

Suki leaped out of the way as a cannon ball came towards her. She easily turned it into harmless paper, the toxins gone. This had been the fifth one Krieg had sent towards her and she just wanted to smack the guy in the face. And she did. She was still invisible and quickly charged towards the armour plated man. She placed a hand onto the man's armour and as easy as that, it turned into paper. She then proceeded to kick him in the face, sending him a little ways off.

Krieg growled, knowing that it was Suki and attempted to shoot at the girl, which is pretty darn near impossible when you can't see the person and said person is well trained. While she was dodging the bullets, she had bumped into Cabaji. Turning immediately in her direction, the swordsman blew fire in her face. Luckily, Suki had made herself fireproof and had just jumped out of the way. Unluckily for the pirates, Krieg hadn't expected the fire and with his armour turned into paper, he turned into a human candle.

Well to say the least, Krieg was _pissed. _Downright _pissed. _One could see steam coming out of his ears and his eyes seemed to be on fire. Not to mention his face was all red. Of course, this could've been because of the fire, but really, Suki couldn't care less about the why. She started to laugh and lost focus in what she was doing, making her become visible again. The pirates leapt at the chance to get her, but Krieg got to her first. He tackled her and the two fell off the cliff. Suki could hear the waves crash against the cliff strongly and the strong salty smell wafted around her.

Suki tried to grab onto something, anything. The first thing she came in contact was Krieg and through the light of the fire, she could see him smirking. She ignored him and grabbed onto him. She stepped on him and launched herself of his back. Her fingers grazed the side of the cliff, and she quickly turned the cliff into Styrofoam before she was too far down. Remembering her daggers, she quickly drew both and stabbed them into the cliff, securing her. She sighed in relief and smirked as she heard a _plop_, telling her that Krieg had fallen in the water.

Looking up, she saw the pirates looking over the cliff, clearly searching for her. She turned invisible instinctively and held her breath, waiting for them to leave. After a few moments, the pirates started to cheer and ran off, leaving the girl hanging on the cliff. Suki waited a few more moments before she turned visible and frowned as she judged the distance between her and the top of the cliff. There was a good distance and she mumbled to herself, "Where is Luffy when you need her?"

She slid the dagger out of the Styrofoam and stabbed it back in at a higher point. Slowly but surely she began to scale the cliff.

_This is going to be a long climb._

**A/N: Really bad chapter… and pretty short…..not a good thing. Ah well.**

**By the way, right now, I'm drawing some pictures of the characters in this story. I'll post them on DeviantArt sometime later. Sort of as an apology for the confusion before. They aren't the best and as of right now, Nite looks like a girl. Anyways, review!**


	16. Chapter 16: Secrets

**Staying or Leaving**

**A/N: I'M SORRY! SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I had REALLy bad Writer's Block and couldn't get anything written at all!**

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognise, I don't own.**

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><p>Chapter 16: Secrets<p>

After a gruesome hour of climbing, Suki finally reached the top of the cliff. Her arms sore, she put away her daggers, and after a moment of catching her breath, ran off towards the docks where she knew Luffy would be. She kept running, all the while thinking about the big why. Why would the pirates team up against her? Why were they so happy when they saw her? She'd have to tell Luffy and Nite about it; that was for sure.

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><p>Mikaila wiped away the sweat on her forehead, and looked to her brother, who was also sweating. The two stopped to let the circus troupe catch up, none of them used to running for such a long time. Really, they should've been had they followed the exercise plan she and her brother had set up, but none of them shared the same interest in push ups, sit ups and the other exercises the twins did on a daily basis. Why, she didn't know and would never know.<p>

"How much longer," panted the ring master, "Mikaila? We're dying back here!"

"I'm guessing not much longer; the docks are just ahead," she replied, pointing towards the docks, and then frowning, "and it's your fault for not exercising! Didn't Mickalis and I always tell you to keep up with the training? But, _no_, you didn't listen!"

Mickalis put a hand on her shoulder, "You can complain about that later. First, we need to get to the docks," turning to the rest of the circus, he said, "C'mon! We're almost there!"

The circus groaned and Mikaila rolled her eyes, which Mickalis glared at. The two got along just fine during their performances and for the most part, but at other times, they were like opposites. Not all times, just sometimes, which the world should be grateful for. When they didn't get along, the ring master had to resist the urge to just throw them out into the wide ocean and leave them for the Sea Kings.

"Great, more running," mumbled one of the animal trainers, and the twins glared at said trainer, which efficiently shut him up.

"Shut up-" started Mikaila.

"And keep running," finished Mickalis.

The circus troupe ran in silence, with the exception of a few groans and curses along the way, for the next little while, until they reached the docks, where they knew they were safe. The moment the troupe reached the docks, they (excluding the twins) collapsed, panting and groaning.

"Now to find out where those other pirates are…" Mikaila said, scratching the back of her head. She looked to her brother, and asked, "You coming?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you're an idiot."

"Ha! I _know _you're an idiot."

Unable to just watch the two acrobats bicker while something more important was at hand, the ring master bonked their heads together hard. He pulled on their ears and growled, "Now, in case you don't recall, you have something you need to do right now. Save your bickering for later."

He released the two, who looked sheepishly at the ring master and they nodded. Luckily for them, they had already changed into their everyday outfit, and weren't in their costumes, otherwise, they wouldn't have had their swords. As of right now, they wore simple white tops; Mikaila's a short sleeve showing her midriff and Mickalis' a white tank top. Both had an orange sash tied around their waist with their swords secured in and wore bottoms; Mikaila's a skirt and Mickalis' being shorts. Mikaila was wearing sandal-like high heels and Mickalis wore sandals.

The twins ran off towards the flames, heading towards the forested areas, and more importantly, the waterfalls.

_**FLASHBACK **_

_The ring master walked up to the twins, who were currently heading to their trailer to change out of their costumes. They weren't exactly the most comfortable to walk around in, especially if you're all sweaty. _

"_What is it ring master?" asked Mickalis._

"_I just wanted to tell you that your performance was great! The crowd loved it!" The ring master said cheerfully._

"_Thanks; we always try our best," said Mikaila nonchalantly, shrugging._

"_I know, but still, your performance was brilliant!"_

"_Yes, yes, now we need to go change please," Mikaila impatiently said._

"_Oh just wait for a moment, won't you? I need you two to go to town and get some supplies before we leave for the next island," the ring master told them, annoyed._

"_Fine, we'll go but can you first let us change?" questioned the female acrobat, voice filled with annoyance._

_The ring master nodded, and the twins ran off to their personal trailer, quickly changing. They washed their faces, getting rid of the sweat, the cool water refreshing them. _

"_Great," Mikaila muttered, she turned to her brother and asked, "Where to first?"_

"_Don't know," answered her brother, who, upon seeing Mikaila's stare, suggested, "Food?"_

_Mikaila shrugged, and Mickalis sighed, "C'mon, then. Let's just get this done and over with."_

"_Whatever."_

_The two walked in silence, not wanting to unintentionally start an argument. Once they reached the markets, they went to Cid, the stall they always went to._

"_Heya fellas! Heard you had a great show today!" the man said, his ever present smile plastered on his face._

"_Thanks; it's what we do," shrugged Mickalis._

"_Well, what can I do for you today?" Cid asked._

"_We're planning to stock up since we're leaving soon. We'll need around 1 ton of meat, 4 sacks of vegetables, and 6 barrels of water," answered Mickalis._

"_No problem! That'll be 5 000 Beli then, and I'll throw in some bread in there, too," Cid replied, taking the wad of Beli from Mickalis, "Now you go and look for your sister as I go and get your stuff."_

"_What do you mean look for my sister-Oh…" Mickalis trailed off, seeing the note on the wall next to the stall. On it, it said:_

I'm going to take a walk around. Have fun hauling the stuff back to the trailer!

-Mikaila

Great, _thought Mickalis as he left the stall in favour of looking for his sister. Why was his sister just so irritating! He sighed angrily as he wandered around the market, his eyes peeled for his sister. _

_Finally, after ten minutes of searching, he saw Mikaila hiding on top of a tall building' roof. Frowning, he jumped up a few times to get to the roof she was on and quietly asked, "What are you doing here?"_

"_Shh!" Mikaila hissed. She then pointed down towards one of the alleyways underneath them. Mickalis looked down and was surprised to see a giant white lion and several others around it. The new people from the circus. _

"_What are they doing?" whispered Mickalis, at which he was given the I'd-know-if-you'd-shut-up-and-let-me-listen look from Mikaila. _

"_Never did I believe that we'd be told to do something like this! Especially not from _him_!" exclaimed the clown, Buggy._

"_You're not the only one surprised, Buggy," said the swordsman Kabaji (who the twins were_ dying _to fight with), "I never would've thought a Shichibukai would come to us?"_

A Shichibukai? Why would they come for these people? _wondered Mickalis. _

"_I guess we really are that famous; who hasn't heard of the Buggy Pirates?"_

"_Pirates," started Mikaila, "Probably with really low bounties-"_

"_Otherwise we would've heard of them," finished Mickalis._

_The two continued to watch the pirates until the twins concluded that there was nothing more to learn from them. They got up and Mikaila leaped off the building, landing perfectly balanced, and started to run towards the Cid's stall._

"_Last one there brings home everything!" she called out to him, and Mickalis quickly followed his sister._

"_Wait up, you cheater!"_

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><p>As Suki neared the docks, she immediately shouted, "LUFFY! GET OVER HERE OR NO MEAT FOR A MONTH!"<p>

In a speed not thought possible, Luffy was in front of Suki, "Meat?"

"No. Now, where's Nite?"

"Not sure. He disappeared," shrugged Luffy.

"Damn it! We need to find Nite now," Suki said, "We need to fly."

Luffy sighed and wings sprouted from her back. She jumped up and took hold of Suki's arms and the two took off, heading towards the flaming town. She saw some villagers attempting to stop the fire, using whatever they could find. The fire had toned down a bit, but otherwise, there wasn't much change.

"Luffy, can you fly lower? I can't see anyone from so high up," Suki asked.

"Yeah, yeah. And I thought I was the captain," muttered Luffy as she dropped into a dive, letting her wings glide at the last possible moment. The two flew through the town streets with amazing speed and control, and eventually, Suki saw a rough arrow drawn on a wall.

"Luffy, I see something! We need to land!" Suki ordered, and Luffy quickly withdrew her wings, sending the two of them falling the short distance towards the ground.

"Sheesh, you are so bossy," Luffy grumbled as Suki walked up to the arrow. Underneath it were the initials J.N.

Looking at where the arrow was pointing, she saw a continuous trail of arrows. She ran off, following the arrows with Luffy close behind her.

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><p><strong>AN: This was HORRIBLE! I probably will rewrite this, but I needed to get something out. Sorry about that. **


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